The Big Four and the Sorcerer's Stone
by F.A.Jackson
Summary: In the legends of old, Voldemort fell at Harry's hand as just an infant. That was a lie to hide the existence of the Death Eater's greatest weapon: Rapunzel Corona. She is now eleven years old and ready to go on the biggest adventure of her life. Join her as she meets friends, enemies, and magic around every corner. A Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons story.
1. The Girl Who Must Live

**A/N: This will be, by far, my longest and biggest project yet. A total of 17 chapters, I'll be following the events of the book with a little Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons twist. A new chapter will be uploaded once every ten days , so don't chastise me about this. I don't know who made the picture but the characters belong to their respective enterprises. **

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The Land of the Sun is ruled by a kind king and protected by a benevolent queen. Along with their young beloved princess, this land is similar to that of a fairytale. It is a beautiful kingdom that has known many years of peace. However, it is all just an illusion hidden beneath an invisible veil. Their queen held many secrets that could easily destroy her perfect little family and ruin her peaceful kingdom. Her life after her marriage had been dedicated to keeping those secrets hidden. She would later die for those secrets at the hand she feared most would learn them. Her death would be the beginning of everything.

A heavily cloaked young woman proceeded into the Leaky Cauldron with caution. She could look all over the world but there wouldn't be a single safe corner for her to hide. There was even more danger in this particular bar. However, the slithering tattoo of a snake on her wrist had called her here tonight. It was impossible to resist the orders of the mark even when it was faint.

Lavinia Gothel was a witch. The term was not an insult or a jab at the way she had been dressed with her long red dress and black cloak. She used to ride on brooms, habitually cackled over ominous events, brewed potions with the quills of porcupines, and, on occasion, practiced dark magic in the woods. She possessed a magic wand and was capable of extraordinary magic, even by the standards of their community. She was a witch by every standard of old folklore.

In her younger years, she had gone to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France with her friends Ellinor and Leonora. When she graduated at the age of seventeen, no one would have expected her to do the things she had done with her magic. She completely disappeared off the map for several years. Her old friends and professors did not receive a single letter from her. No one saw her again until tonight.

Witches and wizards did not make it easy for the non-magic folk (muggles as they have been coined) to notice them. However, tonight was special. Tonight, the wizarding world was celebrating, for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been vanquished. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The Dark Lord. _Voldemort. _The name was feared, unspoken, even by his followers, the Death Eaters. Lavinia was afraid of even saying the name in her mind. Her master was merciful, but his name was like a curse. The use of it was enough to warrant death among her comrades.

That fear lasted even now, when the world believed him to be dead. Parties were being thrown and attended by nearly every magical being in the world. With every street that she passed, she saw more and more of the wizarding community cheering in the streets. Even the pixies were celebrating in the old Christmas decorations at Beaubaxtons academy. Amongst the few not celebrating were the Aurors. It's not that they didn't want to but every single one of them was on duty tonight on the search for Lavinia and her friends.

They would be looking for the obvious pure-bloods to capture like Avery and Goyle. She would remain safe. The name Gothel was uncommon. A half-blood by birth, she had been mocked by the others without mercy. How could they hold back after all when she had inherited the name of a useless mudblood? However, that name would come in handy now. Those pesky Aurors would not think to come after her.

The Aurors would not find her, she was sure of it. On the other hand, the Death Eaters certainly would. One Lestrange in particular,

"Lavinia" A musky deep voice sounded her name to her right. She resisted the urge to jump in her chair. She didn't turn to look at him but her back visibly stiffened. From afar, it merely looked like a bored gentleman was bothering the young lady.

"Rabastan!"she whispered fiercely before pursing her lips in annoyance. "I need news. Is it true?! Th-the Dark Lord...has he.."

"We do not yet know, but we believe it to be true. Bellaxtrix plans to attack one of the Aurors tonight. We will know then. But there are more pressing matters. The girl. The one who we were after tonight. You know of her correct? We must save her."

Lavinia hesitated before answering. If the Dark Lord was gone, it meant that his plan had failed. Telling someone else about her could not be safe now. The girl must be kept an absolute secret. The only ones allowed to know were herself and the Dark Lord. Not even the girl herself could know. However, her faith in Rabastan had never wavered. Of all the Death Eaters, he had been closest to her. A lover, almost. "Yes. I plan to collect her shortly."

"Then you know what you must do. Protect her. You must never allow her to be hurt. The Dark Lord will come for her in ten years, on her 11th birthday. Those were his last orders. If you fail, I will have to kill you."

A cold shiver ran down her spine. That went unsaid. Very few disobeyed his orders and lived to tell the tale. Even those that did manage to survive his punishment would've preferred not to. She had no intention of failing. "I will. Be safe tonight. Too many have already been captured."

The man nodded and left without looking back. Despite it being summer, she felt cold. Her instincts told her he would not return. She followed his example and left without another look in anyone's direction.

The chorus of cheers inside the bar was loud and irritating. The others were about to wet themselves with joy as the radio broadcasted the news all over the world. The dark ages were over. The fear that had been choking them for so long had almost completely vanished.

As she hurried down the street, she could hear Dedalus Diggle, an old enemy of hers_**,**_ talking to some muggle. "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy happy day!" Lavinia internally growled. He was a man without sense, talking in such a way with a muggle. She regretted not killing him when she had the chance.

Everything was beginning to irk her. The only relief she could feel was that of the news that their trap had succeed. All around her witches and wizards were chanting the name Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived! His parents would be dead then, by Severus Snape's hand no doubt. The fools, as if her master could fall at the hands of an infant.

Lavinia moved quickly, her cloak billowing behind her. As strangers greeted her in the streets, she presented them with a charming smile that would have befitted any young innocent woman at the age of 20. She was completely inconspicuous as she turned the corner into an alley before she completely vanished from sight. As if she disappeared into the air itself.

Nearly 300 miles away, on the coast of Germany, Lavinia trotted to the castle where her master had fallen. It was in ruins. Corpses littered the marble streets. Debris was strewn about. A muffled wailing could be heard underneath it all.

Lavinia reached into her cloak and produced a fine wand made of ash. She waved it in front or her and the debris cleared away to reveal source of the wailing. There, in the center of all the destruction was the girl whom her master had sought. She was just a toddler, yet she had saved herself using magic she shouldn't yet possess. There wasn't a single drop of blood or a single scratch on her body. The rest of the kingdom had been slaughtered and yet, the child lived. Lavinia reached for the small blonde girl but her protection was strong.

After trying several different spells, the toddler's enchantment disappeared out of its own free will. The girl was helpless. However, it was then that her wailing stopped. She looked to Lavinia with misty green eyes, the bangs of her long blonde hair nearly obscuring them from sight. Her eyes were fierce and brave. Lavinia carried her from the crib and bounced the thing in her arms.

She studied the young girl closely. Her hair was the purest blonde. She had the finest features that belonged to a noble family but there was no family resemblance. She had known Leonora well, for they had been classmates at Beaubaxtions and this girl looked nothing like her. She looked nothing like her father either. If it wasn't for the magic she had displayed earlier, Lavinia would've been sure that she had secured the wrong child.

"There, there, my flower. You are safe now. I'll take you somewhere far away. Harry Potter has been donned the title The Boy Who Lives, but you are the one who must. You are the salvation of us all."

From that moment on, the girl was taken from her ruined land and raised in secrecy. Her existence was forgotten by nearly all who knew her as the years passed. Those that remembered her whispered her name amongst themselves between the prison cells of Azkaban. Her existence turned to myth and her legacy was forgotten.

Over the years, the fear that people once held for He-Who-Must-Not-Named was pushed to the back of their minds, almost forgotten like the lost princess of the Land of the Sun. His omnipotent presence had vanished overnight but his legacy became that of a scary bed time story. However, there were those who believed he was not yet dead and prepared for his return along with their savior.

This time would come much farther into the future. On this night, as her new guardian rocked her and carried her to the safety of her new home, she did not know any of this. She did not know that her mother was both shamed and dead. She did not know that the world was celebrating the end of the Dark Ages. She did not know that Harry Potter would later become her greatest enemy. She did not know that hundreds of people were dying and being thrown in jail for her survival. She did not know that people were carving her name into the walls of Azkaban over and over again in the midst of their madness: Rapunzel Corona.

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**A/N: That's the first chapter. Much shorter than I wanted, but completely sufficient for what I needed. The next two chapters will be character introductions so if you want to skip those, you can go straight to chapter 4. If you want to skip Straight to Hogwarts, that'll be chapter 6.**


	2. The Vanishing Princesses

**A/n: The Vanishing Princesses and Letters from a Dragon occur at the same time, meaning you can read them in any order or simply read one instead of the other. Letters from a Dragon introduces Hiccup and the Vanishing Princesses introduces Merida. Enjoy!**

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The lovely ladies of Beaubaxtions Academy have always been known to only wed the best. Ellinor MacDonald was no different. A year after she left the academy, she went on to marry a king, Fergus Dunbroch. Together, they had a daughter, the princess Merida. She was born to carry on her mother's legacy and become queen. Ten years has passed since then and that could not be less true.

On this particular morning Merida and her family was enjoying a summery morning in the gland. They were also using this time to celebrate her eleventh birthday. Ellinor expected that Merida's acceptance letter to Beaubaxtions would arrive today. It would signify the start of Merida's new training into becoming a witch and a real lady of the court, and later, the princess.

Merida was also excited as she whizzed around on her toy broom. Her older cousin, Bill, had told her about the many wonders of Hogwarts. She would play Quidditch, learn new spells, and maybe even play a prank or two on her other cousins, the prankster twins Fred and George. She would start school with Ron, her least favorite of the six brothers in that family, but it made her happy knowing that she would see a familiar face when she started school.

Her nurse, Maudie, arrived as she was tossing rocks at the targets her father had set up. She would've liked a real bow and arrow but her mother did not approve of such things. Maudie set down two letters in front of her mother. One had the seal of Hogwarts, and the other was closed with the crest of Beaubaxtions.

Her mother immediately reached for the letter from Beaubaxtions and her eyes widened the more she read. Suddenly, her head shot up and she called for her family to join her, "Fergus! Olympe has finally answered my letters! Merida's been accepted!" She then turned to her daughter. "You'll be going to Beaubaxtions! I've sent so many letters to Olympe to ask her to accept you and now she has!"

Merida hopped off her toy broom and ran to grab the other letter that Maudie had left behind, "But Hogwarts! I want to go to Hogwarts." Merida stamped her little foot and glared at her mother. She shouldn't have been throwing a tantrum but the little princess couldn't help it. She had been dreading going to Beaubaxtions. The thought of learning to become more lady-like sounded extremely boring.

"Hogwarts is in England. That's hundreds of miles away, and they won't teach you how to become a princess. They'll only teach you basic spells and it's a school for commoners. Beaubaxtions is where you'll be going. I went there as a child and it was beautiful. I won't hear another word of it." Ellinor seemed to have closed the discussion with that. She moved to take the letter from her daughter's hand but it was to no avail. The little girl darted around her and hopped onto her broom, zooming back to the palace. Behind her, she could hear her mother call her to return but she did not listen. She held the letter very tightly in her hands, crumpling it. "I will go to Hogwarts." She whispered to herself.

The moment she landed on the front door, she was already bounding through the main hall and over to the kitchen where Maude was feeding the two owls that had brought the letters. She wrote a short reply to both and sent both birds on their way. Her parents arrived quickly behind her but it was already too late. The birds were gone.

Ellinor's strict voice sounded through the castle. She had the ability to project her voice without ever using a spell of shouting. It was something only Ellinor was capable doing. She hurried up the steps to her daughter's room where she was swinging her father's sword. "Merida! What have you done?!"

"I won't go to Beaubaxtions. I don't want to go. I've been dreaming about attending Hogwarts my whole life." This was true. Merida had spent all eleven years dreaming of the days where she would be able to do the things she liked, eat as much as she liked, and make the friends she wanted without her mother to watch over her. It was her dream to get as far away from her mother's influence as possible.

"Merida…You have to be trained in the proper way. That is your fate. That is what you are meant to do in life. You won't be able to be a princess if you don't attend Beauxbations." Ellinor reasoned.

"And how do you know that is my fate? We're witches mother. We have the ability to change fate. I don't have to be Queen someday. What if you have another daughter, or a son? I won't be anything. I can go on and be a Spellbroker like Bill or work in the ministry like Uncle Arthur." Merida's words came out in a tumble. She had started crying without even knowing it.

Ellinor began muttering to herself without knowing it. It was a habit of hers that she would deny that she had. Ellinor was not very fond of her cousin Molly's influence. They had been close as children and she was very kind, but all those sons of hers put bad ideas in Merida's head.

Ellinor wiped at her daughter's tears and pulled her to her chest. "You're first-born Merida. That makes you special. I'll be sending Olympe a message in evening. You are going to Beaubaxtions. It is what's best for you. You will understand someday." Ellinor rested her daughter on the bed and locked the door on her way out of Merida's room.

Merida jumped off the bed and hammered her little fists against the door until she grew tired and fell asleep on the floor. When she awoke, it was dark out, around the time of supper. Someone had put her back on the bed and the door was unlocked. Merida hopped down to the dining room where her father and mother were already eating. Merida joined the two but none of them said a word. Their dinner dragged out silently until it was broken by a roaring fire from the hearth.

There wasn't a single log in the fireplace before but roaring flames were there now. It turned green for a moment, and in the next, her mother's old classmate walked out, brushing embers from her cloak. Ellinor went to give her a hug. Lavinia Gothel didn't visit them very often, but in recent years she would bring Rapunzel with her whenever she did.

Merida didn't have any friends her own age. She didn't like her mother's old classmate but she would play with Rapunzel when they came around. They had not liked each other at first, despite Rapunzel's eagerness to be her friend. Merida found her kindness and polite demeanor to be overbearing and fake. That all changed one day when she found Rapunzel rolling in the grass, getting mud all over her long, perfect, blond hair. With absolutely nothing in common besides overbearing mother figures they would fight with the frying pans in the kitchen and race through the glands.

It had been several months since they had last seen each other. Merida looked around for the other girl but she was nowhere to be found. Merida tugged on the hem of Lavinia's cloak so she would look down at her. "Where's Rapunzel?"

"That's what I'm here to ask about." Lavinia answered, a grave look on her face. "She seems to have disappeared. I can't find her anywhere. I think she's run away. A few days ago I received word from her father that he would soon arrive to pick her up. He has yet to show but I'm afraid something horrible has happened to her. I know your young Merida was friends with her. Have any of you seen her?

Merida's mother shook her head. Rapunzel has run away? But where would she go? Lavinia seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Have you perhaps tried Diagon Alley or alerting the Ministry. She'll only be eleven. She's got to have the Trace on her. They must be able to find her." Ellinor offered.

"I don't want to alert the ministry about this. It's too risky. If they know I've lost my charge, they might take her away from me." Ellinor seemed to find nothing wrong with that explanation but it sounded funny in Merida's ears. However, Lavinia did not give her much time to think about it. "I'm afraid that Dumbledore might've got to her. She might have seen the letters that Hogwarts has been sending her. If she's trying to go to Hogwarts, I must stop her." Lavinia added.

Merida's ears pricked at the word Hogwarts. Rapunzel had run away because she wanted to go to Hogwarts. If Rapunzel could do it, then so could she.

It wasn't very long before Lavinia decided to leave. The search and questions had been fruitless. She grabbed her wand from her cloak and mumbled a few words over the fireplace. A small flame cackled. She then grabbed the powder above the fireplace and shouted, "Diagon Alley." In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Lavinia's appearance seemed to bring the royal family back to their senses and the dinner resumed without any of the awkward silence from before. That night, after everyone else had fallen asleep, Merida grabbed her biggest trunk and stuffed it with as many valuables and clothes as she could carry. She also swiped some keys from her parent's room before she rolled everything down to the dining room. The flames that Lavinia had made fizzled out earlier. She rushed to the kitchen to find a match to light a new fire.

After several minutes of preparation and determination, a small fire started. She grabbed the strange powder from the bag above the fireplace and threw it onto the flame where it immediately turned green. Merida had planned for this but she didn't have anywhere she was sure she wanted to go. As the clocks clicked behind her, the green in the flames seemed to disappear and she said the first name that appeared to her. "Kingsley Clocks!"

She hopped into the flames, which were surprisingly chilly and the next thing she knew, she was rolling out of the fireplace in London. "Nathan?" She called around. It was very late at night, but a tall red-haired man ran down the steps to greet her.

"Merida? What are you doing here?" His accent was entirely different than hers and even Rapunzel's. He gave her a hug before holding her at arm's length. He had lived in Renton for a very long time before moving to London. He had said something about memories that he didn't want to remember. However, the rest of the family was delighted at his move since it meant that they would see him more often.

"Mum wants me to go to Beaubaxtions but I wanted to go to Hogwarts so I ran away from home." Merida explained. "Can I stay here for a few days?"

"I'm afraid not. This will be the first place your mom looks. You can stay here for the night, but tomorrow, you'll have to get some gold from Gringotts and stay at the Leaky Cauldron." Merida nodded to his terms. He was right. She could not stay for long. Her mother would be sure to find her.

The next morning at the break of dawn, Nathan pushed her trunk to the Leaky Cauldron for her. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Do you have the key for the vault?" Merida nodded. "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Another nod. He gave her another hug and walked back to his shop. It wasn't very far, so if Merida did need anything else, she could walk back.

Inside the Leaky Cauldron, people were scattered about, drinking or eating a simple breakfast. To Merida's utter delight, the bright blonde head of Rapunzel was sitting at a table drinking something that looked like milk. "Rapunzel!" The other girl jumped in her seat.

The lost princess turned to look at Merida, fear obvious in her face. That fear relaxed at the sight of her all alone. "Merida…What are you doing here?"

"Same as you. I've run away from home. I'll be going to Hogwarts with you." Merida's smile was wide. "  
So where are your things?"

"It's upstairs. I have a room here until the term starts next month. Have you bought your supplies yet?"

"No money to. I've got to visit Gringotts."Rapunzel nodded. "Me too. I didn't take enough money from Lavinia to get my through the term. We should go together. A friend is supposed to meet me here today to buy—" Rapunzel went quiet. Everyone in the bar did.

At the front of the room, the bartender was nearly screaming the name: "It's Harry Potter…" Someone had whispered the words but everyone heard them. It was impossible to grow up as a witch without knowing the name.

The rest of the room crowded around the boy with the messy hair and the horned-rimmed glasses. It seemed as if the whole world wanted to throw themselves at his feet. Lavinia had told Rapunzel stories of him: A boy who was famous for defeating the greatest Dark Wizard of all time. However, he himself had never done anything to deserve his fame. His family also killed her birth mother. She despised him.

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**A/N: If you know who Nathan Kinglsey is, then you're amazing. If you don't, you can learn more about him by playing Chrono Days by Pacthesis. **


	3. Letters From a Dragon

**A/n: The Vanishing Princesses and Letters from a Dragon occur at the same time, meaning you can read them in any order or simply read one instead of the other. Letters from a Dragon introduces Hiccup and the Vanishing Princesses introduces Merida. Enjoy!**

Nearly 10 years ago, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named disappeared from the land. With their leader gone, the Death Eaters scattered. Some died on the hunt while others were captured, and some managed to survive while hiding away from Auror and Death Eater alike. Lavinia Gothel was one of those Death Eaters. Her last orders were to protect the girl that her master sought.

Lavinia found her in the ruined lands of her home and hid her away from the world. She taught the young girl magic but refused to let her use it. She showed her how to ride a broom but prohibited Rapunzel from ever leaving with it. Lavinia granted her charge no access to the outside world. She was afraid that something would happen to the child and any attempt on Rapunzel's part to prove herself capable was quickly dismissed.

However, the walls of her tower could not hide everything. In the late stages of her youth, Rapunzel's magic grew stronger than anyone could anticipate. Lavinia could no longer force Rapunzel to stay in the tower whenever she was not around to keep an eye on her.

Lavinia would frequent the castle to visit her friend Ellinor and receive news of the wizarding world. She would also go to a Viking village to acquire food. The journey for both would require Lavinia to leave Rapunzel alone for two days and she was unwilling to take that risk. With no other options, she brought Rapunzel with her. During one of her trips to the village of Berk, Rapunzel met a young and lonely boy named Hiccup. In no time at all, they connected over their controlling parents and their desire to be free from their home.

As a celebration of their friendship, she showed him her magic when her mother's back was turned, much to his fascination. She told him the stories of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and of the magical world he couldn't be a part of. His village killed dragons, but he couldn't kill a single one. Hiccup was barely a Viking, there was no way he could be a wizard.

In fact, he was the disappointment of the entire village. His father was the chief and even he was too afraid to put Hiccup into dragon training. He was the laughing stock of the younger generation and the older Vikings couldn't look him in the eye without cringing.

One summer afternoon, the same one where Merida was receiving her letter from Hogwarts, Lavinia and Rapunzel were visiting Berk once more. "Do that thing again, where you make the leaves dance." Hiccup sat cross-legged behind the shop Lavinia happened to be browsing in. Rapunzel and her guardian visited his island once a month. He always took advantage of their visit to the best of his ability.

She obediently waved her hands around her and the leaves circled them like a tornado.

He had seen her do it numerous times but he remained amazed every single time. "I wish I could do magic like you."

Rapunzel laughed. "I can do magic but Lavinia doesn't let me do anything with it. I've got my broom but I can't even take it outside the tower. She says muggles will see me and the ministry will throw me into Azkaban."

"But you're showing me right now." Hiccup answered her. He was scared for her. She was one of the few people who held any actual conversation with him.

"I've read the books. They can't punish me for any magic I do until I turn eleven."

"So maybe she will let you out when you're older." Hiccup shrugged. He didn't know much about the rules but this was interesting enough. It was a lot more interesting than listening to his cousin Snotlout talk about Astrid.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "No she won't. She's says I'll leave when father comes to take me away."

"When will that be?"

"On my birthday."

"That's next week!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Wait right here." He ran to Gobber's shop where he worked and grabbed a small package from underneath his desk. He returned to her just as the door opened behind her and Lavinia returned with several baskets of food. She handed two of them and a bookbag for Rapunzel to carry. As long as others were around, they appeared to be normal muggles. Hiccup immediately hid behind a barrel. Her guardian had seen them together once and threatened him to stay away from her.

Lavinia took her dependent's hand and led her away to the boats. Rapunzel turned around to wave good-bye. This would be the last time they saw each other. Rapunzel had said that her father would come to take her away someday but he was never sure when. He looked down at the small box in his hands and sighed. There goes his one friend.

Snotlout snuck up behind him and grabbed the box out of his hands. "What do you have there Hiccup?! A present?! Whose this for?!" His annoying cousin took the box and shook it next to his ear, a dangerous thing to do.

"Snotlout! Give that back!" Hiccup tackled his cousin but it was pointless. The other boy was older and bigger. He just fell backwards. What came next, Hiccup had no idea. One minute, his cousin danced around with the box in his hands, and the next, his hand was empty. The box was gone, like it had disappeared into thin air.

"Huh?" Snotlout flipped his hand around several times but there was no point. The box was gone. His cousin walked away scratching his head. The box was just…gone. Hiccup looked for it on the ground for several minutes before he got up as well, and walked home in defeat. If he was lucky, it was Rapunzel working her magic.

Much later, in the wee hours of the next morning, Hiccup awoke to an uproar. There was screaming and shouting outside, and that could only mean one thing: The dragons were attacking. He opened his door just in time to see a Monstrous Nightmare fly by breathing fire onto his family sheep.

On any other day, he wouldn't have bothered but now that he had lost his only friend, he didn't feel like he had much else to lose. He ran outside to join everyone else who was screaming at him to go back inside. That much was pretty routine.

He immediately ran to Gobber's workshop. This was where he kept all his secret dragon-hunting weapons. Gobber was nowhere to be found, which meant the situation was a code red. This was a perfect chance for him to escape and make his mark by killing a dragon.

He grabbed his home-made launcher and rolled it down to the nearest cliff. The strongest dragons were the Night Furies. They were fast, deadly, and they never missed. This is what Hiccup was after. Their blasts let off a purple ring that devastated anything nearby but it also gave their position.

Hiccup waited impatiently and within seconds, the dragon flew into view. He immediately let loose a net that flew towards the flying beast. It went down into the far valley. Without a moment's hesitation, Hiccup followed it into the valley. His village was on an island but there were hills everywhere, and climbing them was more difficult than anyone could imagine. His village was doing well without him and without a second thought, he ran off in search of his fallen prey.

The woods are dense, and without a map, searching for the dragon could take hours. Hiccup knew he had to find him before anyone else could. With some unbelievable luck, he found a trail of destroyed trees that led him to a canyon. The fallen Night Fury was alive and breathing. It gazed at Hiccup with angry and confused eyes.

Hiccup drew his knife to kill the dragon. He stood there for several minutes, his hands shaking. Alas! He couldn't do it. The poor thing was weak and dying, caged within the net that Hiccup launched at it. He turned to walk away, but the next thing he knew, he was cutting the net around the dragon, sweat sliding down his face with fear he didn't know he had.

With its wings and tail free, the dragon attacked without hesitation. It pounced on Hiccup and was about to bite off his head when all of a sudden, moves back into a sitting position. It just looks at Hiccup intently before extending a paw. A small letter appeared to be stuck between its claws.

Hiccup took the letter and read:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL ****_of_**** WITCHCRAFT ****_and_**** WIZARDRY**

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Mr. Haddock,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

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Questions exploded inside Hiccup's head likes bombs. What exactly was Hogwarts? Who were these people? What did all those things under the name mean? He was a wizard? "I'm a wizard…" Hiccup said the words slowly, as if saying it solidified the status.

"Right you are." A red-haired man walked up to him then. He had burn marks all over his arms and one on his face. "I was supposed to explain it all to you, but you just had to go and shoot me down. My name's Charlie, Charlie Weasley. I've been commissioned by Dumbledore." The burned man extended a hand for Hiccup to shake. Hiccup took his hand hesitantly. "I should be in Romania, but I heard about a dragon's nest way out here, and Dumbledore commissioned me to come and explain things to you.

"Okay…" Hiccup had no idea what he was talking about but if this guy was looking for a dragon's nest, then he had a lot in common with Hiccup's father. "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

"Right!" Charlie Weasley took a quill and a small notebook from his pocket, "Wizards and witches exist all over the world and we live in secret. Hogwarts is one of three different schools in Europe. If you agree to go, I'll take you to Diagon Alley where you'll buy your school supplies. Then you'll take a train at platform 9 ¾ in King's Cross that'll take you straight to Hogwarts."

Hiccup thought about it for a minute. That was a lot of information to swallow. He decided to only focus on the important things. He was a wizard. There were other wizards. There were three wizarding schools. Rapunzel was bound to be in one of them. Hiccup smiled with excitement but it was short-lived. "My dad would never let me go."

"It's student acceptance. Parents don't have a say in the matter. If you're worried about school supplies, someone's already agreed to pay for all of it. I explained everything to her on the way here. She says she'll meet us in Diagon Alley." Charlie bit at his words. This wasn't a normal circumstance for him.

Dumbledore had asked him to explain everything to Rapunzel Corona on the way here but he shouldn't have had to. Her mother or what appeared to be her mother was a witch. He had seen traces of magic all over their tower. Dumbledore also specified that he should ride a dragon to find her. Normally, that would've been an incredibly unreasonable request but the moment he saw her home, he understood why. It was completely protected by enchantments. If he didn't have a dragon with him, getting in would've been impossible. The more Charlie thought about it, the more confused he became.

Hiccup already had an inkling who this "she" was. That confirmed everything he needed to know. He could use magic. He was a wizard. Everything he wished for could come true and he would learn magic just like Rapunzel. "I accept. Tell Mr. uh…

"Dumbledore," Charlie offered, a smile on his face.

"Yeah! Tell him I'll go." Charlie wrote a quick note before tearing out the sheet. He put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. A brown and white owl flew down to him. Owls didn't live anywhere around Berk so Hiccup had never seen one before.

Charlie rolled up the note before tying it to the bird's leg. It flew off immediately. "Owls are the post system for witches and wizards. It's how we send letters to each other. I'll probably have to explain everything to your dad right?" Hiccup nodded. "Alright. I'll go take care of that and we'll set off tomorrow morning."

Hiccup led the way back to his village while Charlie and the Night Fury followed him. He explained the family situation as they walked. Charlie nodded along. "I can't do anything about the dragon. I've never seen it before. I fly on brooms, and when you shot him down, I just happened to be nearby. Although I've never seen a dragon this tame before."

"So it's not yours?" Hiccup asked, surprised.

"No. You can't tame dragons. It's dangerous. They'll eat you in a minute. The one I used earlier was a baby and I ended up letting it go. I'd never seen it before so I figured it was native to this land. This one is small though. Is it a baby?"

Hiccup stood stunned. "This…This is small?"

"Yeah," Charlie looked at him curiously, "Why do you ask?" Hiccup couldn't believe his ears. What kind of dragons were there? The Night Fury was just about average sized to his village. When they finally arrived, Hiccup pointed out his house to Charlie before sitting on a rock at the outskirt. Charlie left talk to Hiccup's father.

"So…" The dragon and Hiccup merely stared at each other, neither one blinking. "Why don't you just fly off?" The dragon shifted its tail in front, and he could see that half of it was missing. "What happened?"

The dragon titled his head in a way that just screamed, "Do you really have to ask?" Realization dawned on him. The dragon got hurt when Hiccup shot him. "Uhh…Sorry." They sat in silence for a while until it occurred to him that he could understand the large reptile.

Charlie came back soon after, "Your dad says you can go. He said something about it better for you to be away from the village anyway. We'll take off tomorrow morning and sleep here for the night." Charlie threw an arm over his shoulder and they walked down to his house.

Hiccup turned to look over his shoulder. The dragon didn't follow them and instead turned to leave. Charlie followed his glance and turned to look at the dragon as well. "Don't worry about him. Dragons are tough. Besides, the fact that he hasn't killed us yet is already a really good sign."

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**A/N: In case you didn't read the other chapter, Merida is a cousin of the Weasleys and ran away from home. Rapunzel hate Harry Potter. Pacthesis is awesome. Spoiled that chapter...**


	4. Diagon Alley

**A/N: I wanted to upload this chapter with the other two because those two can be skipped. The problem is I normally write my rough drafts and then type them to be uploaded later so this is a couple days late.**

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The next morning, Charlie woke Hiccup as soon as the sun had risen. After Hiccup had changed and gotten himself ready for the day, Charlie put a hand on his shoulder and instructed him to close his eyes as something called apparation made people naturally queasy. Since Hiccup had no idea what was going on, he did as he was told. After a few minutes, he began to have a very strange and definitely queasy feeling in his stomach. That feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come, "You can open your eyes now."

They were in a little shop filled with clocks, and a tall red-haired man greeted them with a smile. "Charlie, what brings you here?"

Charlie's voice was cheerful with a hint of steel. "On my way to Diagon Alley. How's business Nathan?"

The other man gestured around him. "Quiet as a morgue."

"Saige didn't bother to stay then?" There was an edge to Charlie's words and Hiccup noticed how Nathan's benevolent smiled faltered a bit. The red-haired man turned to Hiccup instead, "Are you going to Hogwarts?"

Soon after that question, Charlie ushered him away from the shop into the busy streets of London but Hiccup turned to look back at the shop through a throng of people. "Who was that?"

"Nathan Kingsley. Graduated from Mahoutokoro in Japan. He's a third cousin I think. We use his shop to get to Diagon Alley using the muggle way quickly. Ah here we are." Hiccup looked around to figure out exactly where he was. This place was nothing like Berk where things were dry and tough. The people around him were as skinny as he was. The buildings were all painted and no one screamed.

They were in front of a shady, tiny-looking pub. If Charlie didn't stop there, Hiccup would've never noticed it. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it either, almost as if they couldn't see it. Inside was a wholly different story. The bar-goers were in an uproar, cheering and toasting to a giant of a man, and a little boy with glasses. Rapunzel stood to the side, talking quietly with a red-haired girl close to their age. They spotted him immediately and Rapunzel's face lit up with joy. "Hiccup! I've been waiting forever. Let me introduce you. This is Merida Dunbroch. Her mother and Lavinia were friends."

Merida took one look at Hiccup and frowned, "A Viking."

Hiccup returned the same glance even though it was her accent that gave it away. "A Scottish girl." For several long minutes, neither said anything and there was obvious tension in the air. Charlie was the one to break it with a tiny cough, "Will you look at that... it's Harry Potter with Professor Quirrel."

Rapunzel's face filled with disgust. Hiccup took notice and asked, "Whose Professor Quirrel?"

"He's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. It's a cursed position. No one lasts more than 2 years."

"He's not the problem." Rapunzel said abruptly. "Harry Potter is."

"But he's the Boy Who Lived." Merida answered. She did not care for celebrities but he was, more or less, a hero.

"That's not the story I've heard." Rapunzel exclaimed. She did not seem to want to continue the conversation wither her own story however and ushered the group onward into the back of the shop and in front of a brick wall.

Since Charlie was the only one with a wand, he pulled it out and started tapping the bricks in the wall above the trash can.

Without any warning, the wall parted and a beautiful bustling street came into view. There were stores selling all kinds of things imaginable. The pictures were moving, and the owls were swishing in every direction. Several boys had their noses up against a window with a broomstick on display. Merida rushed to join them. "It's the new Nimbus!" Her face shone with excitement, "I would do anything to ride on it and play Quidditch someday."

Hiccup turned to Rapunzel "What's Quidditch?"

"Only the best game in the world. Someday, I'll become the like Catriona McCormick and become captain for Scotland." Merida answered before Rapunzel could utter a word. She hopped around and giggled with excitement.

"Hold on Merida. That won't happen for a long time. Aunt Ellinor would rather hurl you into Dumstrang before she let that happen," Charlie held her excitement at bay. "Let's go get your school supplies first."

They walked to the largest building on the street. It stood at the centre of the entire market with bronze doors and two goblins much shorter than Hiccup, who was the shortest out of the group, glared up at them. Pushing away the bronze doors only revealed a small room with a few words engraved onto a pair of silver doors: Engraved on these silver doors was a warning:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_  
_Of what awaits the sin of greed_  
_For those who take, but do not earn,_  
_Must pay most dearly in their turn._  
_So if you seek beneath our floors_  
_A treasure that was never yours,_  
_Thief, you have been warned, beware_  
_Of finding more than treasure there._

"Sounds scary." Rapunzel said. There wasn't any hint of fear in her voice at all. Behind the silver doors was a long hall where several goblins were working behind high counters. Charlie greeted a free goblin, "I'm with Rapunzel Corona and Merida Dunbroch. They wish to take out some money today."

The goblin eyed Rapunzel curiously, as if contemplating whether or not to turn her away. "And do you have their keys, sir?" They each took out a key from their pockets. The goblin examined both. He then asked for some proof that Rapunzel was who she said she was. Without missing a beat, she pulled out a strand of her long golden blond hair. "A wand would have worked but I don't have one yet," She whispered to her two friends. The goblin examined that as well before calling out to another goblin (whose name they were told was Ragnok) to guide them to their vaults. Everyone followed the little goblin through a large door on the side of the hall.

Behind the doors was a railway of steel tracks. The group squeezed into a metallic cart that resembled the ones someone would see in a construction tunnel. The cart hurtled through a winding passage into vault 512, which they were told was Merida's. The entire room was piled high with coins, trophies, and jewels that were passed down through her family. Even though her father had not been a great wizard, her mother had come from a long line of famous witches.

After Merida had filled her pockets with as many coins as she could carry, they hurried back into the cart where it traveled even further into Gringotts. They traveled so far underground that the air had started to grow cold and they could see the air in front of them when they breathed. "How far are we going down?" Hiccup muttered through chattering teeth.

"We're here," Ragnok answered. A large set of dusty black doors lay in front of them, with a strange creature guarding the doors. She had the face of an angel but everything else about her was that of a lion. From her claws to her tail, it was clear that she was a beast. "Ragnok, you've brought me guests. Who is this?" The beast asked the goblin.

"The girl whose vault this belongs to. She wishes to get some of her things."

"Very well, if one of you can answer my riddle I will let you through. If none of you can, then none shall pass. Shall we begin?" Rapunzel nodded. "Don't try to help me." She whispered the words and the air around them was becoming thick and painful to breathe in.

_Listen here, and listen right._

_We are gentle beasts of wings and flight_

_We can't be seen in darkness_

_Nor can we be seen in light_

_We are only seen with death_

_And those worthy enough to endure the sight_

_What are we?_

For someone who was not familiar with magical beasts, this would've been an extremely hard riddle. For Rapunzel though, this was easy. She had read about them when she was younger and Lavinia wouldn't let her leave the tower. They fascinated her more than any other beasts she had ever read about. "Thestrals."

The sphinx smiled, and Rapunzel couldn't help but think she looked pretty. "You're clever young lady, and you do resemble Leonora so. Proud, ambitious, and clever beyond her years." The numberless vault creaked as the doors swung open to reveal a dark room full of gold coins. Not a single silver coin lay in sight. Treasures were strewn about carelessly with the money, but sitting above it all was a crown, a locket, a trophy, and a box of rings.

Rapunzel grabbed all the coins she could carry before turning to leave. The sphinx moved to let them pass, eyeing Rapunzel with greed as they did. "Rapunzel, just who are your parents?" Hiccup asked her quietly. She didn't answer him because in truth, she didn't really know herself.

One wild cart ride later, they were back on the surface. Rapunzel ushered them out of Gringotts quickly and into Madam Malkin's. A short little witch dressed in a peculiar shade of purple came to greet them. "My goodness, first years?" They all nodded and she ordered them to stand on the footstools at the back of the shop.

As a few ladies bustled around them with long flowing robes, the awkward silence from Rapunzel's vault settled over them. Merida decided to initiate conversation first as it seemed more important. "You saw them too?"

"Queen Ellinor and Lavinia, yes. Someone ratted us out." Hiccup's face shone with surprise but neither girl showed any hint of it. In fact, Merida seemed like she had expectations of this happening. "Are you sure it wasn't the Viking boy?"

Hiccup's cheeks grew red with anger. "I wouldn't do that! And don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

Rapunzel quickly came to his defense. "You and Hiccup my best friends. I trust him just like how I trust you. The goblins probably did it. They also could've guessed we came here. It's not like we have a lot of money. They probably guessed we would need to come here and get it before we bought our school supplies." She reasoned.

"We can't let them find us." Neither of them could tell who Merida had directed that sentence at. "I don't want to go to Beaubaxtions. All that talk about being proper and I learn to fly or duel." Her mood seemed darker with every word she spoke.

"Duel?"

"To fight," Rapunzel answered.

Hiccup nodded at the explanation. "With thoughts like that, you could be a Viking." Merida would've normally had been insulted, but she remembered that the boy was a Viking himself. "I suppose I could."

Rapunzel smiled, glad that her two friends were finally getting along. "You're done my dear. Your friends must stay behind a little longer though." Rapunzel suggested she get their books first and they would all meet up outside Ollivander's.

Merida gave her some money and Rapunzel was off. Charlie had run off somewhere when they were getting measured. Rapunzel considered that perhaps he had been the rat but it seemed unlikely in her mind. As she was passing by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, she saw Harry Potter and the large giant from earlier eating ice cream together. She stared at them for several seconds before continuing on her way. He was not what she expected him to be. He was too short, and frail, and weak. No, Rapunzel did not like him at all.

Outside the Apothecary, Charlie was levitating three pewter cauldrons. "What are you doing?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Getting your cauldrons. None of you have wands and someone has to levitate your stuff." Rapunzel nodded with his explanation and went into a shop to buy some crystal phials as well as scales, and telescopes.

Their next stop was Flourish and Blotts, much to Rapunzel's delight. There were several bookstores in Diagon Alley, but this one was the biggest. Confronting the Faceless wasn't even on her school list of supplies but she bought it without any hesitation along with the rest of their books. She also bought Beating the Bludgers - A Study of Defensive Strategies in Quidditch by Kennilworthy Whisp for Merida.

When Charlie could finally drag her away, they found Hiccup and Merida waiting for them outside Ollivander's, wands in hand and chattering away excitedly. "He told me Phoenix feather was extremely picky. I went through so many wand types like Blackthorn and Ebony. When I finally got this one though, it was different. It's like it would listen to me."

"Me too! I saw a chestnut wand that I wanted but he wouldn't give it to me. In the end, I got a walnut wand. I asked him what that meant but he told me 'it would become clear with time' in a really creepy voice." They were both smiling, and it appeared that their time alone was enough to work out their differences. Rapunzel greeted them both before entering the shop.

The bell tinkled as she went in where an old, silver-haired man greeted her. She assumed that he was Ollivander. He leered at her for a moment without saying a word. "Good afternoon."

He opened his mouth to speak and Rapunzel almost expected dust to fly from his lips. "You look like a curiously familiar young lady. Who might your parents be? That's very important to wands."

The words gave Rapunzel an uneasy feeling in her heart. "I don't know. Lavinia Gorthel raised me."

"Hmmm…" He closed his eyes, and she could almost see his memories flashing behind his eyelids. "She was not one of mine. Let's move on, which one is your wand arm?" That first question led to many more as he measured the lengths of her body, from her arm to her height.

After he had completed his taking of her measurements, he took a box from one of his shelves. "Laurel, 10 inches, swishy. Perfect for charm work." The moment it touched her, something behind Rapunzel exploded. Ollivander threw that wand on the counter and put another wand in her hand. And then another, and another. They went through maple and walnut as well as chestnut and willow. It seemed the wands would reject her forever. Ollivander looked at her curiously. "Perhaps Gregorovitch was right…"

"Who?" Rapunzel asked, slightly confused that he had not handed her another wand as the Alder one that he had given her before seemed to dislike her as well.

"Hawthorn, 9 inches, unyielding," He placed the wand in her hand, and a strange feeling overcame her. She felt a strange warmth in her chest and she wondered if this is what the authors meant when they wrote fairy tales of love. She waved it over her head once and silver sparks flew out in the shape of a flower.

"Well done! Very well done..." He stared deeply into her eyes for several minutes, the man did not seem to require breathing or blinking. "Mr. Ollivander?" He nodded to show he was listening. "What did you mean, Gregorovitch was right?"

"I did not make the wand that you are now holding. Another wandmaker, by the name of Gregorovitch did. It was an abomination as he called it. The wand core is Thestral Tail Hair. It is the most unstable of the wandcores and can backfire on a witch at any moment. I don't use it in my own wands because of it. You are perhaps, one of the few who have been chosen by one of its kind. Combine this with the truth that it is a Hawthorn wand, what you are holding is capable of destroying you at any moment."

Rapunzel looked at the wand, analyzing every corner of it. It looked beautiful, and it fit in her hand perfectly. She felt no fear with it in her hands. She paid Ollivander 12 Galleons for the wand, which turned out to be the most expensive item she had bought that day. The sun was already setting when she went outside. Their last stop was Eeylops Owl Emporium. Merida wanted to buy an owl for herself. She found exactly what she wanted in a matter of seconds. The owl was black and white with the white crossing over his face and body like several Xs. She named him Angus.

The streets were covered by a dark orange glow as they left Diagon Alley. Each of them had a cauldron full of books and supplies. Angus was hovering above Merida's head and they quickly learned that despite his fierce appearance he was afraid of loud noises. They said their goodbyes over drinks and promised to wait for each other at Platform 9 ¾ outside the Hogwarts Express. As they went their separate ways, each of them held a sense of excitement in their hearts at the idea that they were finally living a life in which they wanted.

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**A/N: I really like Merida and Hiccup when they're fighting. On the other end, you won't believe how much time went into deciding what kind of wand each of them would get. And Jack hasn't even shown up yet. I'm disappointing myself with my efforts here. Nathan Kingsley is from Pacthesis. **

**PS. If you're wondering, yes, I did make up that riddle and yes, Jack will be showing up in the next chapter. **


	5. The Journey to Hogwarts

**A/N: The chapter was late because I was at an anime convention for the weekend. Anime Midwest to be exact. It was a major disappointment but whatever. It seems like my chapters are never on time anyway. My poor schedule...I butcher it so...Also, if you read Lunar Dance, that will be uploaded in two of three days. I still need to type it up. **

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Rapunzel and Merida's last month before school was a long one. They locked themselves in their room and sent Angus to keep a look out for their mothers every night. Ellinor had sent out quite a number of owls but none of them made it past their diligent surveillance.

It wasn't until several weeks had passed that they had made a plan to get to the train station for the Hogwarts Express. They were to go as early as possible so that they would arrive before their mothers who were bound to be there. Even though it was not the best plan, it was their only one. With that out of the way, they spent the rest of their time reading their textbooks, trying out spells in their bedroom, and brewing simple potions from their books. (Merida had sent Angus out for ingredients).

On the very first day of September, Merida and Rapunzel packed their things and Rapunzel exchanged some of their wizarding coins for some muggle pounds. This exchange caused Merida a large degree of confusion but Rapunzel insisted that it might come in handy. Without anything else to do in Diagon Alley, they proceeded down the packed muggle streets of London. It took them nearly ten minutes before they realized that they had no idea where they were going.

"I have no idea where we are" Merida sighed. She looked at an overhead clock which read nine o'clock. They were already behind schedule.

"What should we do?" Rapunzel answered, looking at the people around her. "Should we ask someone for directions?"

Merida grabbed the shirt of the closest man who turned to look at her irritably. "I'm in a bit of a rush here."

"Errr….Do you know how to get to King's Cross?" Merida asked, pointing to some random location.

The man looked them both over before gesturing his hand forward. "Follow me. We're heading in the same direction." The man turned around and began walking away without any other warning. Rapunzel ran to catch up with them. "That was really brave."

Merida shook her head. "It's not brave to ask for help when you need it." She puffed out her little chest and dragged her stuff behind her. The man led them to a train station. He didn't turn to look back at them. He bought a ticket and walked through a turnstile. Rapunzel quickly followed suit, and bought tickets for them with the muggle money she had gotten earlier. Merida watched her with a pound of gratitude.

The train ride was quiet. There were other people and there was a lot of noise, but Merida and Rapunzel didn't say a single word to each other. They felt that saying anything would immediately draw the attention of everyone else. When they reached King's Cross, they parted ways with the grumpy man and each grabbed a cart so they could push their luggage around.

They passed several platforms, before they finally saw Hiccup's tiny frame between Platforms nine and ten. His face was just as excited as theirs. He waved them over, "Hurry! I've been waiting for half an hour!"

"Do you know how to get on the platform?" Rapunzel asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Just walk through that barrier." He pointed at an arch that separated the platforms. I saw a lot of people do it when I was waiting."

Rapunzel went first, followed but Merida and Hiccup went last. A scarlet train was waiting next to the walk. Overhead, a sign said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. The three of them ran into the first compartment that wasn't completely full. A white-haired boy was sitting alone with a sour look on his face. They tucked away their bags on an overhead rack before sitting down across from him.

Hiccup was the first to see her, "Lavinia!" Merida caught on quickly. "She's with me Mum! They're all with Aunt Molly! What do we do?! They're boarding the train!"

"Hide behind the luggage on the racks if you don't want them to find you." They all turned to look at the white-haired boy. He seemed to look really resolute and he was standing.

Despite his small size, Hiccup was very strong. He boosted both girls onto the racks as the white-haired boy pulled out his wand. "Accio toad" The pet of a round-faced boy flew into his hands and he turned to look at the door. "Pretend we're friends." He said over his shoulder.

Hiccup had no idea what that meant and started talking about the first thing that came to mind. "So I want a pet dragon."

"Really..." The boy did not turn around. He didn't seem to be listening either. "What house do you want to be in?"

"I don't know, what about you?"

"I uh…Slytherin." It was at this moment that Ellinor and Lavinia walked into their compartment. The white-haired boy immediately threw the frog at them and burst into a bright smile that looked oddly forced to Rapunzel. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were Penelope Clearwater." He said those words without batting an eye. Ellinor's face was indignant.

"Disgusting! My son would not be so rude!" The queen shrieked before huffing herself out of the compartment. Merida peeked from behind her luggage after a few minutes. "Don't come down yet. Wait until the train starts moving." Merida shriveled back into place.

Soon, the train did start moving and the two princesses climbed down from their hiding places with the help of Hiccup.

Rapunzel landed on the floor first. "Thank you umm…."

"Jack. My name is Jack. Hufflepuff."

"Your last name is Hufflepuff?" Hiccup inquired quizzically.

"No…No one's last name is Hufflepuff. I'm in Hufflepuff." He rolled his eyes at Hiccup's blatant stupidity.

"I'm Rapunzel."

"Merida."

"Hiccup. We're all first-years."

"Must be nice, starting Hogwarts with friends." Jack said, a hint of envy in his voice.

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know any magic. It'll be a blast just getting beat by girls in every class." It was now Hiccup's turn to roll his eyes.

"Nah. Your wand learns for you. What you need in Hogwarts is friends." They talked for a while, and learned that Jack was just starting his second year. He showed them some spells he had learned last term.

At around 12, a chipper old lady slid back their compartment door with a cart full of candy. Both Hiccup and Jack declined but the girls rushed for the cart of sugary goods. They grabbed as much as they could carry and split the costs. Both of them had the largest smiles on their faces as the turned around. They looked to each other before looking at Jack and handed him all of their sweets. "They're gifts," Rapunzel said, "To thank you for helping us," Merida added.

Jack stared at the candy without touching it. Never in his life had he ever felt appreciated. Never in his life had anyone ever given him attention for anything he had done whether it was good or bad. His dad was long gone before he was even born. Jack did not know the man and his mother paid a lot more attention to his siblings than she did to him. His step-dad, Manny, didn't talk to him at all. The vase in the hallway of his home received more attention than him.

He took a piece of chocolate and threw it at Hiccup before bouncing onto the floor. When they thought back years later, this would be the moment that they remembered when they thought about the start of their friendship. The four of them ate all the sweets together. They unwrapped every last piece of candy, traded chocolate frog cards, and played a game with Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Beans to see who would get the best flavors. Hiccup won while Rapunzel lost, but she insisted that she liked the grass beans.

The train raced down the countryside, passing mountains and wide grassy plains. They all felt free and happy. All their pains and sorrows seemed miles away. As they watched the scenary pass before them with full bellies, they could not feel any more comfortable. As they were falling asleep, they heard a knock on the door. A girl with hair almost as bushy as Merida's and the boy whose frog Jack had abused stood at the door. She looked around the room before turning to Jack, "Have you seen a toad?"

Everyone else turned to look at him as well, "Down 4 doors and toward the right." They left quickly without a second thought. The room was silent for a minute before Merida turned to look at him again, "Do you like Quidditch?"

The question launched the duo into a heated debate. They talked about favorite teams and Merida's dream to become captain of the team in Scotland. They talked about brooms and the teams at Hogwarts. Hiccup didn't pay much attention to them and took out a spell book to read. Rapunzel joined him.

This situation lasted for the rest of the ride. Soon, it was getting dark. The boys used the bathroom to change while the girls changed in the compartment. As they were putting on their robes, a voice echoed throughout the train, signaling their arrival. "We will arrive in Hogwarts in 5 minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train. It will be taken to the school separately."

Exactly five minutes later, the train slowed to a stop and everyone moved to the train door. A loud voice boomed over them. "Firs' years! Firs' years, follow me! Anymore firs' years?! Mind yer step now!" Jack waved goodbye and left them to head in a different direction.

They hopped into a boat with a skinny, dark-haired boy. Rapunzel saw that Harry Potter was close by, closest to the giant with what looked to be one of Merida's cousins as well as the toad-searching pair from earlier. She clenched her fists around her long blond hair. The sight of them sickened her slightly.

Without any warning, the boats moved toward the castle. Lights danced above them and the glow of their new home welcomed them over a cliff. As they headed underneath a bridge, the base of the castle came into view. A toad was hopping along the bank.

"Trevor!" The pig-faced boy ran to grab him while the rest of the students just looked at him with a mixture of shame, anxiety, and sympathy. The giant cleared his throat and the boy rushed back into the crowd. The giant hammered his fists against a pair of refined oak doors. They swung open at once, and a tall, severe-looking woman stood in emerald green robes.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Said the giant. He bowed slightly.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take it from here." She pulled the doors wide open, and the massive entrance hall could be seen. The ceiling was too high for Rapunzel to see. The people in the portraits could talk and whisper among themselves. A beautiful marble staircase faced them and even more staircases were moving above it. So much magic floated in the air that Rapunzel almost thought that she could taste it.

The group followed the severe-looking professor across the entrance hall and through another pair of doors before they were told to wait in the small room as she checked the preparations. Another pair of wooden doors stood before them. Forty students stood in the tiny room and loud cheering could be heard on the other side of the doors.

After a few moments, the professor returned with a little less of a frown, "Welcome to Hogwarts." She said. "The start-of-the-term banquet will now begin."

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**A/N: That's right. Jack is in Hufflepuff. Any guesses where the rest of the Big Four will be? **


	6. The Sorting Ceremony

**A/N: This chapter was a lot harder to write than I expected. I originally wanted to give a reason for everyone else's houses, but it occurred to me that it should be obvious.**

"In a few minutes, you will be sorted into your respective houses. The sorting Ceremony is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts." Meruda, Hiccup, and Rapunzel gave each a look of uncertainty. Their idea of family probably wasn't what the stern teacher had in mind. "You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in the house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

She watched them all with accusing eyes. A few of them rearranged their clothes and wiped at their faces. The students were then instructed to form a line. Rapunzel stood the tallest in front of her friends. The professor, McGonagall, led the students out of the chamber and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The room before her was splendid. It was beautiful, completely lit by a thousand candles floating above the room. Everyone else in the hall stared at them as they passed.

Rapunzel could hear the bushy-haired girl from before was whispering without pause. Her grinding voice was beginning to take its toll on Rapunzel's concentration. Luckily for her, the group had stopped walking. The hall fell silent.

They stood in between four long tables which were occupied by all the other students in school. Jack was on their left. He gave them a small smile before facing forward, like everyone else. Rapunzel followed their gaze and saw what appeared to be the Headmaster along with the other teachers. In front of him was a very old hat on a stool. After a few moments, it began to sing.

The song was old and strange. It described the four houses and the kind of students that were in it. Apparently the hat had the ability to see inside her head. She need only wear it and she would know where to go. The whole hall burst into applause as the hat's song ended. Hiccup could be seen visibly releasing a sigh and Merida patted him on the shoulder with a giant grin on her face. She hadn't noticed it before but she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of paper. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She paused for a moment to look for a name at the very top, "Abbott, Hannah!"

A scared-looking blonde with pigtails half ran to the stool. The hat fell down over her eyes, blocking them from sight. After a few moments, "Hufflepuff!" Jack's table cheered with mirth. A fat ghost next to him was waving to the new student merrily.

The next girl joined her at Hufflepuff. A boy then became the first Ravenclaw. A Gryffindor was chosen next. Brown, Brocklehurst, and Bulstrode, names were rattled through, categorizing all the students before her. Finally, "Corona, Rapunzel," The witch seemed to have a double-take when she read the name. "Corona?"

She walked up to the hat as calmly as she could. A few strands of her long blonde hair were curled up in her right fist. As the hat dropped over her eyes, she could see Jack and Merida both gesture a thumbs-up.

For a moment, there was only darkness and silence. The sounds from the Great Hall seemed to disappear. "Hmm…" A little voice in her ear made her jump just the tiniest bit with surprise. "So much to see in this little head of yours. Plenty of creativity I see. Very clever young lady you are. You place a lot of faith in your friends as well, despite your desire to shine above them. So where should I put you…"

Rapunzel's thoughts brought her back to the things Lavinia had once told her about Hogwarts. Her mother had visited Hogwarts when she was younger and that was where she met her father. He had been in Slytherin.

The hat seemed to hear her thoughts because it was at that very moment that the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" A few students from the other houses, along with Merida and Hiccup clapped as she walked down the steps to the Slytherin table. Jack stared after her, dumbfounded.

MacGonagall called a rather large boy next, who also followed her into Slytherin. She couldn't help but notice that he seemed to receive more applause than she did. The students around her had scooted away slightly when she sat down.

"Dunbroch, Merida!" She strode up to the hat confidently, flashing Rapunzel a smile. The hat barely touched her head before declaring her a Gryffindor. Several more people were sorted before Hiccup, including the bushy-haired girl from before.

"Horrendous-Haddock, Hiccup!" Several people laughed at the name. Rapunzel and her friends fervently shushed the people around them. He sat there for several long minutes before the hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!" Rapunzel wondered what the hat had said Hiccup. She gave him a smile as he walked to his table, but she didn't feel particularly joyful. She wasn't in a house with any of her friends. What would classes be like all alone?

"Potter, Harry!" Her head jerked to the front of the hall. Everyone else had too. She whispered his name to herself as he walked up to the hat. His face looked pale, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. "Not Slytherin," She whispered to herself. "Anywhere but Slytherin…" She wondered if the hat could hear her, because it screamed, "Gryffindor!"

Everyone in the hall minus her table erupted in rapturous applause. The shock of seeing her wish come true eclipsed the rest of the sorting from her memory. The next thing she knew, the tables in front of her were full of food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips. Rapunzel piled her plate high with potatoes and avoided most of the meat save a little bit of sausage.

A few other first-years and an angry looking ghost in chains sat across from her. Her classmates were leaning as far away from him as they could. "The start-of-the-term banquet is one of the best meals all year." The ghost looked down at her plate with a bit of confusion, "Won't you have a bit more meat, young lady?"

"Uh...No. I'm okay. I don't like eating meat all that much. Why don't you have some?" Rapunzel offered.

"Ghosts can't eat food." Theodore Nott informed her. He was a thin boy with prominent cheek bones and teeth that seemed just the tiniest bit too large. Freckles were plastered across his face and forehead underneath a fringe of dirty blond hair.

"You would have known that if you were a pureblood." Draco Malfoy sneered. He sat directly next to the bloody ghost himself, although he seemed to greatly dislike the spot.

"Pureblood?" Rapunzel inquired. The rest of the table looked at her with a bit of shock and horror.

"Just who are you?" said a girl across from her. She had been sorted before Potter and Rapunzel remembered that her name was Parkinson. "Don't tell me you're a mudblood."

Rapunzel didn't answer her, since she had no idea what that meant. The ghost seemed to notice her distress. "Ahh yes, Corona. It _is_ such a strange name. Who are your parents?" The ghost inquired. The students around her turned to look at her with curiosity. A few of them showed obvious disgust. Malfoy turned away instead, but a look of interest was clear on his face. "I'm not sure about my father but I was told he was in Slytherin. My mother's name was Leonora Astor."

The ghost stroked his beard thoughtfully. "We've never had a Corona before. Your mother however, was chosen as the Champion for Beaubaxtions Academy: She was very gifted witch from a royal family in Germany."

"That's her. Apparently she had met my father here at Hogwarts during her stay." Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was lying. Her story was plausible but unlikely in her mind. She hadn't known much about her mother and even less about her father. Lavinia had done very well in keeping the family history from her. The ghost regarded her for several more minutes before saying, "Yes, I do remember her going to the Yule Ball with someone from our house."

The other students at the table seemed to look at her differently after that comment. Their cold attitude from before diminished slightly and a few of them even invited her into their conversation. The bloody ghost, whom she learned was actually named Baron Latimer, also gave her a few tips about the school pathways and how to avoid a trouble-maker known as Peeves. As the night wore on, deserts were served. Everything tasted better, and the night glowed a little brighter. She could see that her friends at all the other tables felt the same way. They all had smiles on their face.

As the night wound down, Rapunzel grew ever sleepier. Dumbledore rose from his chair and greeted the students before him. "Ahem, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

The headmaster gestured to an old man who was standing to her left. A cat was pawing at his heals.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." A lot of people laughed but Rapunzel looked to the ghost across from her. "Is he serious?"

"Yes, very. You will do well to remember his warning." The ghost had a perplexed expression on his face, as if he was thinking very hard about something. Rapunzel thought about his warning, ignoring the rest of Dumbledore's speech. It took several minutes for Rapunzel to realize that the entire hall was singing the school song to completely different tunes. A pair of twins at the Gryffindor table finished last, and it was clear that their singing was the loudest of all.

Rapunzel followed the rest of her house through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and down a side passage. She waved goodbye to her friends as they were all going in different directions. The prefect of her house led her down a short flight of stairs and down a longer corridor into the dungeons. They stopped in front of a stone wall with a portrait of a snake. ""This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. To get in, you need a password." The prefect said, turning to the portrait, "Parseltongue."

The stone walls slid aside, revealing a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. Rapunzel had never seen so much green and black in her life. The black sofas and loveseats surrounded a fireplace. There were some cupboards made of wood on her right. A notice board was on the wall with little announcements and a header with the word parseltongue on it. Skulls were carved into the walls and furniture. She couldn't help but feel a little shiver pass down her spine.

A prefect directed Rapunzel to a room on the seventh floor. 4 other girls followed her, including the girl who had called her a mudblood over dinner. The room was simple, with 5 beds and two tables. Even in its simplicity, the furniture had a regal air to it. Rapunzel picked a bed and flopped on it, her long blond hair obscured half of her body from view.

She could hear the other girls gossiping on a different bed. It occurred to her that she should talk to them and maybe even make new friends, but sleepiness washed over her. She watched the group of girls on the other side of the room. The last things she saw were them pointing at her and whispering behind their hands.

**A/N: I'm actually dying to write the chapter after this one. It will be the first chance I get to showcase just how cool Merida and Rapunzel are together. **


	7. Welcome to Class

**A/N: The chapter is on time! I'm so proud of myself right now... I'm also really excited because I can finally show the gang as real team next chapter. Also, I have tuned up Merida's accent now that the story will be told entirely from Rapunzel's perspective. It will also the first interaction between Harry and Rapunzel. Let the questing begin!**

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His name was everywhere. On her first day at Hogwarts, Rapunzel heard the name Harry Potter whispered countless times as she roamed the halls, went to classes, and even while she was napping in the common room. _Potter, Potter, Potter._When she did see him in person, it became a mess. The hallways would become flooded with people pushing each other to try and get a better view of him. On more than one occasion, this blockage made her late for class.

Even without Harry Potter, getting to classes was already very difficult. With over a hundred staircases that continuously moved, Rapunzel's excellent memory became utterly useless. It wasn't just the staircases that were tricky either. The were doors that weren't really doors, and almost all of them moved. Some of them even tried to talk to her.

However, she did have some help getting to where she needed to go. The portraits were more than ready to point her in the right direction and the coats of armor frequently led her to the bathrooms. The ghosts were even more helpful. Rapunzel learned very quickly that almost every one of them and even Peeves the Poltergeist was afraid of Baron Latimer. She would mention his name in passing and they would almost immediately usher her in the right direction.

Once she got there, her classes were actually quite fun and entertaining. On Tuesday evenings, she would study star patterns, constellations and planets with Professor Sinistra. Three times a week she would study the use of plants and fungi in Herbology with a little old witch called Professor Sprout. This quickly became her favorite class.

On Tuesdays she had History of Magic and Charms class with Hiccup. History of Magic was taught by a very old and boring ghost known only as Professor Binns. He did nothing but lecture so the two of them decided to re-interpret history in their own way. He caught them in the middle of acting out a battle during his lecture on the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. They were given extra homework but Hiccup didn't seem to mind.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. He seemed to like Rapunzel from the start as she was the only one who offered to help him up when Draco Malfoy shot a spell to send the books flying from underneath the old Professor.

However, the one class she really hated was Transfiguration. It was one of two classes that she had with Hufflepuff, the only House where she didn't have a friend in her year. Jack was a second year, meaning he had classes with other people. It also meant she hadn't seen him at all after the night of the Sorting Ceremony.

Her teacher, Professor McGonagall, was the same teacher who called their names during the ceremony. She was how Rapunzel expected all her teachers to be: strict, clever, demeaning. What really bothered her were the old woman's eyes. For some reason, whenever the old professor looked at her, there was fear and concern in them. Those eyes of hers made Rapunzel nervous, which made it hard for her to concentrate on turning her match into a needle.

After her first week of classes, Rapunzel woke up before everyone else Friday morning. She had one last class that day which was double Potions with the Gryffindors. This meant she would be able to talk to Merida. It also meant that there would be dozens of people blocking the hallways trying to get a good look at Harry Potter. Rapunzel sighed as she got dressed.

When she walked down the long stairwell to the common room, she was surprised to find that she was not the first one awake. Theodore Nott was sitting on one of the couches, working on a Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment. Professor Quirrell believed in theories and not practical usage, which meant that his class was run like History of Magic. It was also equally as boring.

"Good morning, Theodore." Rapunzel said cheerily. He jumped a little in surprise, his shoulders tensed. His demeanor relaxed at seeing her. "Good morning. You're awfully energetic for someone who just woke up."

Rapunzel smiled. She had often been told by Lavinia that she had too much energy at 8:00 in the morning. "I like mornings. It's a new day, and that should be a new adventure."

He stared at her for several minutes without a sound. Rapunzel was about to leave when, "What a Gryffindor thing to say."

Rapunzel blushed. "Is that a bad thing? I'm not very brave though."

Theodore shrugged. Apparently the topic of conversation was not something he found very interesting. He turned back to his homework, writing a report on a variety of spells. Rapunzel looked at his assignment over his shoulder, she had down the same assignment the night before. It wasn't particularly hard, but it took a lot of work flipping back and forth to compare spells. "Are you trying to copy me?" He said, his eyes still focused on the parchment.

The question sounded rude to her ears. "No. I finished it yesterday." A silence hung in the room for several minutes before he broke it again, "Aren't you going to offer to let me copy?"

"Why would I do that?" She asked him curiously. Her head was tilted slightly. In that angle, her hair nearly touched the floor.

He smiled. It was the first time anyone in her house beside Baron Latimer smiled at her. They mostly sneered and frowned when she was around. Sometimes, they flinched. "It's just a Slytherin thing to do. Do you want to grab some breakfast?"

Rapunzel nodded, her cheery smile returning to her face. This was a great start to the day.

They walked to Potions class long before anyone else finished breakfast. It was very close to the common room, so finding it wasn't a problem at all. The room was unfriendly and cold. Even colder than the common room. Animal parts were floating in jars along some shelves. Rapunzel resisted the urge to gag.

Theodore worked on his assignment while they waited for the rest of the class to arrive. Rapunzel read her potions book. She had done this numerous times before with Merida but it seemed vital that she memorize the information now.

The room filled up slowly. Harry Potter, Merida, and the boy who looked like her cousin were the last of the students to arrive. Merida waved to her from across the room. The teacher, Professor Snape walked in from a back room not 3 minutes later. He was a tall man with greasy-looking hair. He looked over everyone in the room, his eyes lingering slightly on her and Potter.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death." His voice was low, almost a whisper. However, his words held a sort of power, the kind that captured the ears of everything around him. Then his voice returned to his normal volume. "If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Rapunzel laughed a little internally. He reminded her of McGonagall with that demeaning statement. It was obvious that they were both very strict. "Potter!" Snape barks suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" The bushy-haired Gryffindor's hand shot up into the air.

"I don't know, sir." He answered. Rapunzel didn't look at anyone. Her head was down and the tip of her quill danced across a clean page, leaving the question and the answer on her parchment.

"Tut, tut. Fame clearly isn't everything. Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Potter once more, did not answer him. The other girl's hand was still raised and she was waving it with extreme vigor. "What is the eighth use of dragon's blood?" Potter did not have any answers for him, and it seemed that the Professor had grown wary of picking on him. "Two points from Gryffindor. Corona, give me the answers."

Rapunzel's head finally shot up to look at him. She was not sure if she had heard him correctly, but she answered anyway. "Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion known as the Draught of the Living Dead. Bezoars are found in the stomach of goats. One of the uses for dragon's blood is to cure injuries." She had used the blood once to help Hiccup after a raid on his village.

Snape stared at her for another moment. "5 points to Slytherin for that Ms. Corona. While what you mentioned is one use of dragon blood, the eighth use is as a universal cauldron cleaner. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" He gave a short lecture before putting the class into pairs. The task was to make a cure for boils. Rapunzel's ears perked at the thought. She flashed Merida a thumbs-up before her friend winked back.

She was paired up with the round-faced boy whose toad Jack had stolen. He looked extremely afraid even though he was larger than she was. "Hi, my name is Rapunzel."

He recoiled slightly as if her words could physically harm him. "Ne-Ne-Neville Longbottom." He squeaked.

"It's nice to meet you Neville. I've done this before so you have nothing to worry about. I'll watch the fire, and you'll crush all the ingredients okay?" She offered him a kind smile and he seemed to relax after that. Professor Snape seemed to walk by them more than the other students but he didn't criticize them once. Neville nudged her with glee every time he left without yelling.

They were the second pair to finish their potion as Theodore and the bushy-haired Hermione Granger were the first. Merida was third. Her partner had been Draco Malfoy. An hour later, everyone was leaving the dungeons, ready for their weekend. "He thought he knew what he was doin'. Almost blew up my pot when he let it boil for too long." Merida complained as they left the dungeons together. "By Odin, I swear, next time he talks to me, I'll punch his face in." Rapunzel laughed. She had forgotten how funny Merida was.

As they were going up the stairs, Merida fell back a little, tripping over a step. Her cousin of some sort, Ron Weasley, had pulled on the back of her robes. "What?" She asked him.

Ron glanced at Rapunzel, slightly disgusted. She caught the look and walked a few steps away but she could still hear them, "Are you blind?! You know she's a Slytherin, right?!"

"Yeah, what of it?!" Merida's voice was loud and angry. She had been taught to never shout but she was not her mother. Merida loved to scream.

"They're evil! You're supposed to stay away from them!" Ron wasn't very quiet either. Rapunzel kept her head down, as if she couldn't hear them. Theodore motioned something that looked like eating lunch but she merely shook her head and he left without her.

Merida came back not soon afterwards, her face red from the yelling. "Sorry, aboat that. Me cuzzin's a wee bit loony aboat yoo bein' a Slytherin an' all."

"It's okay." Rapunzel answered. They walked to the Great Hall together, ignoring the curious looks that people gave them. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor being friends was rare, almost unheard of. "Let's go grab Jack and Hiccup. Then we can have lunch outside." Merida nodded, agreeing.

Hiccup was easy to spot as he was just sitting down and he was easily the shortest person at his table. Jack was next, but his white hair gave him away easily. He turned to look at them as they approached. "Do you want to eat outside?" Rapunzel asked.

Jack looked to the people around him. They were all staring at him, as if he had grown an extra head or another arm. A few girls were whispering behind their hand. "Uhh…I don't think so. I don't like the warm air too much."

Merida rolled her eyes and pulled him up by the waist. "Havers! Let's go!" She dragged him out onto the grounds, struggling. Hiccup and Rapunzel grabbed some food and shuffled behind them. She dropped him by a tree, and he gave up on the struggle.

"Do you want some beef?" Rapunzel offered him the sandwhich on her plate but he eyed it warily. She lowered it slowly, "Is something wrong, Jack?"

He sighed. "It's just…I've never met someone in Slytherin who talked to someone outside of Slytherin. They're all kind of pretentious and stuck-up, you know? I mean, what if you're just not the person I thought you were. People in Slytherin are like that. They like to wear masks and pretend to be better than they really are."

Rapunzel opened and closed her mouth several times. Luckily, she didn't need to say anything because Hiccup and Merida ran to her defense.

"How could yoo say that?!" Merida asked indignantly.

"You're wrong. She is who she is. She doesn't hide behind anything. She doesn't lie either." Hiccup added.

Rapunzel's gaze fell on each of their faces. It was strange, having such wonderful friends who believed in her. Trust wasn't something she had in people. Lavinia had thumped it out of her. Rapunzel actually understood why Jack would worry about her since she had seen with her own eyes the kind of people that were in Slytherin. "It's okay guys. I get it. The people in my house are kind of mean." They both turned to look at her, "And when we first met Jack, I was running away from home. That's not really the most trustworthy way to meet someone." Rapunzel smiled.

Jack sighed, and whatever worries he had, seemed to melt away at that point. He grabbed the sandwich off her plate and winked as he bit into it. "Do you hear that Merida? She's siding with me."

No one else answered him. The air seemed tense a moment ago, and everyone looked at each other awkwardly. A few seconds later, they all started laughing for no explicable reason. It was the kind of laughter that came after a test score or a bad breakup. It was relief, because the worst was over. Jack didn't have friends at Hogwarts, but it appeared that these would be here to stay.

As they were finishing up their makeshift lunch, Angus flew down to them, a letter in his mouth and another in his claws. One of them dropped in front of Merida and the other on Rapunzel. She read:

_My Dearest Rapunzel,_

_Considering you ran away from home before I had a chance to stop you, there are some things you need to know before the school year is over. I know you are Hogwarts. Your father has several men in the castle that report your whereabouts to him. That being said, I am sure you and Ellinor's daughter are doing well._

_On your birthday your father visited my home and I told him that you had left for Hogwarts. Needless to say, he was furious with me. He has abolished my role as your guardian. When the semester is over he will be waiting at the train station to pick you up. By the time you receive this letter I will be far from Germany but I am sure we will meet again someday. Good-bye Rapunzel, and good luck. _

_ Your faithful servant,_

_ Lavinia Gothel_

_P.S. Your father has been to Gringotts recently and removed __a crown, a locket, a trophy, and a ring from your possession. I'm sure these items mean nothing to you now, but they will someday in the future._

Rapunzel looked up, and saw that Merida had the same expression on her face: fear mixed with a little guilt. Both their hands shook.

**A/N: Did I lay it on too thick? I wanted to show that Lavinia did care for Rapunzel as a person rather than a responsibility. Who do you think Rapunzel's father is? I'm almost certain most of you will say Voldemort even though the man is like 60 years old now that Rapunzel's 11.**

**Please review, suggest, give me some ideas. All of that is welcome. **


	8. Quidditch Lessons and Midnight Duels

**A/n: Late yet again, but I made up for it with a slightly longer chapter. A full, 3,000 words. Yippee...**

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The week that passed after she received her letter was a long one. Her thoughts were constantly plagued by the idea that Lavinia was being punished somewhere because her, Rapunzel, had run away. That because of her, the only woman who had been by her side her whole life was being exiled into some unknown location. It was with this fear that a surge of loathing filled her in a way that she didn't expect. Despite the fact that she never knew her family, she expected that she would love them all the same. She had been wrong.

She was not an item that he could take for himself whenever he wanted, like the treasures in her vault. This was what she told herself but the words didn't ring true. Was it possible that the family which she had built up in her mind, a complete lie? Could it be that her parents never truly cared for her at all? And now her father had taken away the one person who had.

Her only solace during this time was that she had been given another class with Merida. Despite the fact that this also meant another class with Harry Potter, this one wasn't nearly as bad since it was outdoors. They were going to learn how to fly.

Talk of flying lessons had made everyone excited. "Flying! Quidditch! Knockin that bloody annoying Malfoy off his broom!" Merida chanted as they walked down the hall to the grounds. Hiccup was beside her, and he looked a little green.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Ahh, I'm okay. Just a little nervous." He looked like he was a lot nervous.

"Whatcha nervous aboat? Flyin' is the best feelin' in the world. The wind flowin' through me hair, the world a mile under ya. It's great." Merida's description was meant to make him feel better but he seemed to turn just the tiniest shade darker when she was done.

Everyone else was just as excited as Merida. Flying lessons were the only thing anyone could talk about. Draco Malfoy would go on long rants in the common room about how he was practically born on a broom and could even fly while sleeping. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Since everyone in her house had been from a wizarding family, it meant that everyone had something to say. This was especially true for Merida.

Rapunzel laughed a little at her enthusiasm. Rapunzel had flown a lot around the tower as a child. Lavinia had found some sort of joy seeing how many things she didn't break while zooming through the tower. She loved flying on a broom, but she felt much greater joy walking barefoot.

Hiccup left the girls as they turned onto the pitch. The sun was warm and the grass looked soft under her feet. It was swaying gently to a fall breeze. Rapunzel felt the desire to kick off her shoes but left them where they were. She had class to go to.

Many of the other students were already there. Twenty broomsticks were lying in nice neat lines on the ground. She could see Harry Potter with Merida's cousin, Ron. He was staring daggers at her. The professor, Madam Hooch, arrived shortly before Draco Malfoy and his troupe showed up. She had short gray hair and the eyes of a hawk. They looked gorgeous to Rapunzel.

"Well, what are you all waiting for." She barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Rapunzel was already by her broomstick. It looked old, and infinitely larger than the one she used to play with in her tower. "Stick your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up" Madam Hooch shouted.

Everyone shouted, "Up!"

The broom jumped into her hand at once. She could see that Merida, Theodore, and Draco Malfoy were also holding their brooms proudly. It seemed that many of the Slytherin boys had complete control of their broom.

Madam Hooch demonstrated how to mount a broom correctly. Merida giggled with glee when she informed her that not only was her stance perfect but she had a good build for Quidditch.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle. Three. Two, 0n-" Before she could say one, Nevile Longbottom was already in the air.

Her old potions partner had seemed jittery when class started, much like Hiccup. He must've been afraid and pushed up into the air much too hard. He was flying straight up into the air like a toy rocket. His face was white when the broom zoomed straight ahead, leaving him behind to fall straight to the ground.

CRUNCH!- Everyone heard it. A nasty crack that implied something was broken. Rapunzel felt the urge to try and help him but Madam Hooch was already by his side. "Broken wrist, "She muttered. "Come, on boy- it's all right, up you get.

She turned to the rest of the class, "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing. You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'." She then turned to Neville who had tears streaming down his face. "Come on, dear."

As soon as they were gone, Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" Rapunzel could see her classmates laughing as well and the anger that she had been holding in burst out of her. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"Sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy sneered. "What a mudblood thing to do. I suppose being friends with purebloods would raise your status a little wouldn't it? Even if he was a stupid and useless blood-traitor."

Rapunzel simply stared. She had no idea what half of those words meant. The people around her were shocked. Some were obviously angry but no one made a sound.

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward before snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." A Remembrall glittered in his hand.

"Give that here Malfoy." Harry Potter said quietly. Rapunzel stared at him. It surprised her that it took him so long to defend someone who had been in his house, possibly even his friend. What a horrible person.

Malfoy's smile was malicious. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How bout up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy leapt on his broomstick and took to the sky. She could see Harry mount his broom but Granger stopped him, whispering something into his ear.

"How good is your aim?" Rapunzel whispered to Merida. They were both watching Malfoy, waving the Remembrall over his head.

Merida smiled back, the same plan forming in their minds. "The best in the world." Merida grabbed some pebbles off the ground and the two girls each hopped on a broom. Rapunzel's wand was poised and ready. Malfoy watched them fly up with an expression of shock plastered across his face.

"Give it bac!" Merida yelled.

"What makes you think I'll listen to you!" Malfoy screamed in return. Merida smiled: a wicked grin on her face before throwing the pebbles at him, one at a time. The first one hit him in the cheek, leaving just the tiniest cut on his face. That was only a distraction because her second pebble hit him on the wrist making him let go of the Remembrall.

"Accio!" Rapunzel had seen the spell used only once, by Jack the first day she met him. Ironically, Jack had used it to steal Neville's toad at the time.

The Remembrall flew into her hands. She held it high over her head, a proud grin on her face. She could see clapping and cheering below her. "Rapunzel! Look out!" Merida's scream make her turn back around but it was too late. Malfoy had already shot toward her like a javelin and knocked her off her broom.

She could feel herself falling, just like Neville had earlier. It was strange, different from flying but still somehow familiar. The ground seemed to be rushing up at her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.

But it never came. She felt a hand wrap around her arm, holding her up only a few feet off the ground. Harry Potter was dangling off his broom, his right hand held onto it while his left hand wrapped firmly around her wrist. His glasses were slipping off his face. The only expression she could manage was one of surprise. "What….are you doing?"

He didn't get to answer her because right at that moment a shrill scream ripped through the air. Professor McGonagall was walking up to them, purpose in her step. He let go of her immediately. "POTTER! Do you have any idea what you've just done?! You could've broken your neck, or worse, gotten yourself killed." Her eyes shifted between Rapunzel, Harry, and Merida who was flying down now, a look of pride clearly on her face. "You, and Ms. Dunbroch will come with me immediately." She then turned to the rest of the class, her eyes watched Rapunzel nervously, "The rest of you are dismissed."

Rapunzel watched them go without saying a word. The Slytherins whispered amongst themselves, laughing and clearly happy that Malfoy had gotten out of trouble. "Are you okay?" It was Theodore who had asked the question. His eyes were shinning.

"I'm okay." Rapunzel didn't look at him. Her eyes were glued on the back of Harry Potter. Why did he save her? Why did he help her? Her arm tingled where he touched her. Without another word, she walked off the field. She could feel the eyes of 16 other people, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, watching her go.

She didn't know where she was going. She wasn't sure. The castle was a maze, and it certainly confused her most of the time but at the moment it was a relief. It didn't look at all suspicious that she had no idea where she was going and it also meant that she would probably end up somewhere new. This time, it happened to be the Hospital wing.

Neville Longbottom was sitting on one of the beds. The tear stains were still on his face, and he was rubbing his arm gingerly. He looked up when she sat down at the chair by his bed. Surprise lit his face. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean? She answered.

"Your face, it's bruised." Rapunzel reached for her face, and could feel a small bump on her cheek. Malfoy had elbowed her when he collided into her. She hadn't noticed before but her cheekbones did sting.

"You dropped this when you fell." She held the Remembrall out to him. "We went through a lot of trouble to get it back."

Neville took it into his hands and gave it a soft squeeze. Red smoke filled the little glass ball. "You can keep it if you want. It's always filling with red smoke but I can never remember what it is I've forgotten. I always double-check to make sure I've got everything before I go anywhere but it's always red." He looked kind of sad.

Rapunzel leaned her elbows onto the bed. "Well, maybe it's not something you can see. Maybe you've forgotten something else. Like a memory that used to be important. Or maybe a friend's birthday."

He didn't answer her. His face was scrunched up, a look of pure concentration, and slowly, very slowly, the red smoke started to fade. A small smile appeared, sad but present. "I didn't think that would be it."

"What did you remember?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

He looked at her, confusion clear on his face. "Why are you so nice to me? You're in Slytherin. I'm just a useless Gryffindor."

Rapunzel pondered that question for a second. It was obvious that the people in her house liked to make fun of him, and it was also obvious that most of the students didn't make too many friends outside of their houses. She was destroying two social rules just by sitting there. "I didn't get to do many things growing up because my mother didn't think I was strong enough. I came here to prove to her that she was-is wrong. I guess I don't want to feel like I can't do something just because other people won't do it. I don't want to be afraid to be different. Being a Slytherin doesn't mean I have to bully other people."

Neville smiled. "And just because I'm a Gryffindor doesn't mean I have to be brave all the time."

Rapunzel returned his smile, "Yeah." They sat in silence for a few minutes. Rapunzel noticed that he never answered her but the Remembrall didn't glow again. It occurred to her that he wasn't going to answer her question but she decided not to pursue it. It was his business.

After a while, Madam Pompfrey, the school nurse, ushered her away. The sky had grown dark when she walked down to the Great Hall. Merida caught her at the door. "Yoo wun't believe wut happened with McGonagall! I met Wood! I'm on the Quidditch team!" Merida was practically hopping. "I've already toold Jack. He's on the Hufflepuff team. Aren't yoo excited?!" People watched Merida scream as they walked by. A few of her cousins gave her a pat on the back as they walked past and nodded to Rapunzel with approval. Apparently, their horrible flying lesson had been the biggest gossip all afternoon.

Rapunzel listened for a few more moments before they agreed to grab some food and eat outside. She wasn't in the mood to talk to the other people in her house but she was hungry. As she went to grab some steak, she could hear Malfoy and his troupe talking. "I'm not going to waste my time dueling Potter. I could beat him with my wand tied behind my back. I'll just send Filch to get him into detention after dark." He immediately stopped talking at the sight of Rapunzel. "Corona. What are you doing now?"

"Having dinner with people who aren't mean for fun." Rapunzel answered tartly.

"Ahh, yes. That stupid lot you hang out with. Merida Dunkin, Jack Frosty, and Hiccky, right?" Malfoy snickered. All his friends laughed around her.

She scrunched up her fists so she wouldn't throw her plate of food at him. "No. Their names are really easy to remember but I don't expect someone stupid to be able to do that." Rapunzel grabbed her food and waited outside the Great Hall for the others. Only Merida came out. "Hiccup is studyin'. Something about armour and I can't find Frost."

"That's okay. I just needed you anyway. I need you to take me to the Gryffindor Common Room." Merida raised her eyebrows a little but didn't say anything. She walked to the seventh floor with Rapunzel following closely behind. The stairs kept turning but she seemed to know where she was going. They stopped in front of a portrait with a fat lady on it. "Pig Snout." The Fat Lady eyed Rapunzel curiously but opened up anyway.

The Gryffindor Common Room was warm and cozy, emblazoned with red and gold. In Rapunzel's eyes, the room suited Merida perfectly. "I need to wait here for Harry Potter to come back. I have something I need to tell him where other people won't overhear."

"Harry Potter…Are the two of yoo friends now that he's saved yoo from falling to your doom?" Merida cackled slightly at the thought and Rapunzel punched her in the shoulder. The two of them flopped down next to the fire. Warmth flowed over them.

"I owe him now. I don't like owing people stuff." She whispered. The two of them sat by the fire and ate in silence. It occurred to them that this might've looked weird: A Slytherin sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room eating mashed potatoes.

When then portal opened, a group of Gryffindor boys came trailing in. They stopped at the sight of her. "It's you." Ron said. His voice didn't hold any of the annoyance and resentment that it used to. "How did you get in here?"

Merida raised her hand while rolling her eyes. "Dunderheid…" The insult set Ron on a tangent and the two of them went into a heated argument about how Ron was a dunderheid. Everyone else watched them with fascination.

"Harry Potter." At the sound of her voice, the raven-haired boy snapped his head to look at her again. " Draco Malfoy isn't going to the duel later. He was only trying to get you in trouble. If you don't want to get caught out of bed and expelled, don't go."

"How did you know about that?" She didn't answer him but his eyes visibly relaxed. After a few moments of silence, he answered, "Thanks. I owe—"

"We are not friends." Rapunzel looked at him with eyes on fire. Every ounce of frustration that she had accumulated over the week was spilling out today. "I'm helping you right now because you saved me when I fell. I don't like you. Actually, I kind of hate you. We will never be friends."

She stood up to leave. The other two stopped yelling and everyone in the room was staring after her, mouths agape. As she reached the portrait she could hear his voice call out to her. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

She stopped for a minute and thought about her dead mother and the father she now loathed. She thought about Lavinia, ordered to live in exile because of her selfishness. She didn't turn around to look at him. "You are a hero for no reason. People have died for you, people who had families and friends who loved them. I hate you because you can't even remember their names." Rapunzel left the tower with tears pricking her eyes.

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**A/N: Comments? Reviews? Because honestly, I loved this chapter. They keep getting longer and longer and I keep having less and less time.**


	9. Halloween

**A/N: This chapter was so late...It's because of school and work. It just couldn't be helped with college starting up again.**

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Rapunzel greatly enjoyed seeing Malfoy suffer in the weeks that followed. He couldn't understand how Harry and Ron had managed to escape detention, never mind expulsion. "They probably chickened out and decided not to go to the Trophy Room that night." Pansy Parkinson kept saying. "But someone was roaming the halls that night! Filch just couldn't catch them! That useless squib." That was more or less what the conversations sounded like every morning at their table.

No one looked at Rapunzel anymore. Harry Potter and his friends wouldn't look her in the eye. Malfoy was busy as well. A new, and in his eyes, better plot to get Harry Potter in trouble was keeping them busy.

This was extremely important for her because it meant that she had more time to talk to Hiccup. The boy had been disappearing for days at a time. He had been so allusive in fact, that when she bumped into him at the library, she didn't recognize him at first. "I'm so sorry for th-Hiccup?!" She whisper-shouted.

"Yeah!" He whisper-shouted back. "Why do you sound so surprised?!"

"None of us have seen you for weeks! Where have you been?! What are you doing in here?!" Rapunzel answered.

"Reading. What else would I be doing in a library? It's not like I eat books or something." He shifted a little so she couldn't see the name of the books in his arms.

"You've been reading…We don't have any tests yet. What are you reading?" That's when she sees it. On the side of the very top book in his arms, it's the mark of the Viking. "Vikings… You're studying yourself? That doesn't make any sense."

Hiccup looks down at the book, then up at her before dropping the books and himself at a table. "I'm not studying myself. Remember how I was really scared of flying at that first lesson? When I actually got on a broom, it felt amazing. I flew better than anyone else in my class. Even better than people who had been on a broom forever. It didn't make any sense to me. Vikings don't have any history of flying. We're all ships and running and grrr! And stuff."

Rapunzel looked through the books he had with him. The ones on top were on Viking history. At the very bottom of the stack was a book on dragons. "Dragons… Why are you reading about dragons huh?"

Hiccup's eyes gleamed. "Remember a couple nights ago how Filch found someone sneaking out of bed? That was me." He said it proudly, with a grin that would've made Merida giggle. But Rapunzel was not Merida.

"Hiccup! Do you know how much trouble you would've gotten in if someone caught you? Filch almost caught you!" Rapunzel was still whisper screaming but the act was straining her voice. "How did you escape?"

"That's the best part! I hid in the locked room on the third floor. You won't believe what I found. It was a three-headed dog! The thing is, he was tame and guarding a trap door. Someone tamed and hid a Cerberus in the castle to protect something. If someone can train a Cerberus then I can train a dragon. It would solve all of my village's problems. Think about it. We can ride around on them and visit different places. They would stop burning down the houses. They would make great pets."

"Hiccup!" Rapunzel was shaking him by the shoulders now. "Have you gone crazy? Have you been anywhere close to a dragon that wasn't trying to kill you?! Your dad would kill you for even thinking about it." Rapunzel's voice was quiet now. She had been by their village often enough to know the dangers of a dragon.

During one of her first visits, they had been unlucky enough to arrive in the middle of one of their attacks. Buildings were aflame and every Viking was on the field attacking the beasts. She saw several goats and sheep get carried away while several people were burning to death in the fields. It was gruesome.

"I'm going to try it out once I go home." Hiccup announced. "I met a dragon before. It didn't try to eat me. It followed me around and that was it. No matter what I read, there isn't anything about Night Furies. It's like someone took the name and crossed it out of everything. I even checked monster pamphlets."

Hiccup then began a long spiel about possible tactics for his dragon problem. It was in the middle of this monologue that Merida had snuck up behind him with Jack's arm around her. "Did you just say you were going to train a dragon?" Jack asked, a grin on his face. "That's never been done before, you know that right?"

"That dunderhead, cosin of mine is friends with the gameskeeper. He tells me the big man is raisin a dragon. Could go ask." Merida suggested. Jack looked at her like she had grown another leg. "Hold on, you're giving him advice on how to train a dragon? That's crazy."

"Because yoo have no faith." Merida rolled her eyes and pushed his arm off her. "And paws off, Frost."

"Oh, c'mon Merida. You'll be seeing me a lot now. Our first match is with each other. I figured I'd comfort you now before I destroyed you in the match. Then you won't have to cry to Rapunzel." Jack winked at the two girls, causing them to roll their eyes once again.

"What makes you think Merida won't win?" Hiccup asked with a grin. "If she does, you'll be the one crying on Rapunzel's shoulder and swatting away Merida's comforting pats of affection."

Merida clapped while hopping up and down. "Now that is an idea." Rapunzel chuckled at them all as Jack smacked Hiccup upside the head.

"You're supposed to be on my side." He said to the younger boy.

Rapunzel smiled watching her friends. The four of them had not been together in a long time. Merida and Jack had flying lessons too often and Hiccup was never around so she had been alone for weeks.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked her. The other two were arguing about the match.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just missed seeing all of you." Rapunzel answered him. "This is nice."

The four of them walked out of the library. It hadn't occurred to them before but it was Halloween. Decorations were set up everywhere around the hall. There was a delicious smell of pumpkin pie in the air.

Lunch was a quick affair since there would be a Halloween feast that night. She walked away by herself as she had Transfiguration and Jack was not in her year. She looked around her at the other students, mostly a group of Hufflepuff boys in the corner. One of them walked over to her when she sat down. "We heard what you did during your Quidditch lesson." He said to her as casually as he could manage. He wasn't doing a very good job.

"Everyone did..." Rapunzel answered him with a smile. This boy was being kind of silly.

"Well, we figured after you did that to someone in your own house, you musn't have any friends. We were wondering if you wanted to be friends with us. My name is Zacharias Smith." He seemed to be quite proud of the things he told her, even though it sounded really mean in her mind.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have friends." She tried to keep herself from sounding too insulting. The look of disdain on his face made it clear that it hadn't work. He walked back to his friends and they all glanced at her as they continued talking. She opened her Transfiguration book in an effort to ignore them.

The class ended with her trying to turn a mouse into a snufflebox. It occurred to her that casting spells like this on an animal might be a horrible thing to do. Didn't it matter that these animals had lives and families? Like maybe this mouse had been in the middle of a cheese hunt when she turned it into a tiny gold box.

Right as the class ended, she used the spell to turn it back to its original form outside the classroom. It scurried out of her palm and into a hole in the wall. She stared at the spot for several minutes before heading to the Great Hall.

She found Merida on the way and walked beside her. "How wos the lesson?" Merida asked.

"Kind of weird. How was yours?" Rapunzel answered.

"Me dunderheid cosin' made the Granger lass cry. She's been in the potty forever." Merida rolled her eyes.

"What did he do?" Rapunzel answered, eyes wide. It didn't occur to her that someone like Hermione Granger was capable of tears.

"He said she has no friends. He's right but did he have to say it so loudly that 'alf the school heard him?" Merida threw her hands in the air with annoyance but their conversation came to a screeching halt.

They had entered the Great Hall and it looked fantastic. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. They said their goodbyes as they went to their tables for dinner. As Rapunzel sat down, the feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, just like it did at the start-of-the-term banquet.

She could hear Malfoy plotting some sort of evil scheme three seats down but she didn't care. The potatoes tasted excellent. Suddenly, Professor Quirrell sprinted into the hall, with his turban askew and terror on his face.

It took a moment for Rapunzel to register what it was that he was screaming. "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." He collapsed on the floor.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

Chicken was being thrown into the air and everyone seemed to be screaming. Rapunzel could have sworn that she saw several people running down the tables. Everyone was pushing everyone else to get out of the way. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. "Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Gemma Farley stood at the head of their table and the rest of the House stood around and behind her. Rapunzel fell into place next to Theodore. As they were leaving the Great Hall, she could see Harry Potter and Ron Weasley run away towards an empty corridor. They were probably going to try and fight the Troll themselves.

"They might be dead by tomorrow morning." Rapunzel whispered to herself. She turned her head and walked away with the rest of her house.

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**A/N: As I laid my bricks and future sensibilities, it occurred to me that many people would not like the way I've portrayed Rapunzel. Perhaps she seems selfish, mean, or just really out-of-character. That's because she is. I feel like in Tangled, she's really inconsistent. That will not be true here. **


	10. Snape and Quirrell

**A/N: I'm more or less getting back on update schedule. A lot of talking and canon events in this one and a bit of non-canon stuff. I really like the Hiccup/Jack dynamic I have going here so expect more of that. Same for Jack/Merida. I don't ship either of those but I like expanding on relationships a lot. **

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The boys did not die that night, much to her surprise. She had heard from Merida the next day that they had been rewarded in fact. They had saved the Granger girl from the mountain troll and had been rewarded for sheer dumb luck. It should have bothered her, but instead, she found that she was impressed by them. They had risked their lives to save a girl that they didn't like.

"The lot of them are friends now." Merida had mused as they entered November. Rapunzel had a million things to ask but she kept her mouth shut. She could tell that Merida didn't care about them too much and the conversation wasn't something she wanted to keep going.

"If you want to get to know them so badly, why don't you just talk to them yourself?" Jack asked from above. He was hanging upside down on a thick tree branch above them. His shoes were off, like Rapunzel's.

Merida snorted. "Yoo know she doesn't like Potter. Yoo're so stupid sometimes, Frost." Jack stuck his tongue out at her as a retort.

"Jack's not stupid." Hiccup chimed in.

Jack smirked. "See! Someone's on my side."

"He's just not as smart as you." Hiccup added. He reflexively held up his book, which was really convenient because Jack had decided at that moment to throw several sticks at him. A few landed in Rapunzel's hair since she was sitting next to the Ravenclaw boy.

"Sorry Punzie," Jack said as he hopped down to brush the twigs away. Rapunzel swatted away his hand. "I told you not to call me that." She said irritably. "It sounds stupid."

"I think it sounds cute." Jack dived down to wrap his arms around her and dug his head into her long air.

"It sounds pretty stupid." Hiccup and Rapunzel said at once. Jack took one arm and began swatting at Hiccup who again avoided his reach. Rapunzel took the opportunity to get away from Jack's grip and run as far as her legs could carry her. Not to be left behind, Jack gave chase, leaving their shoes behind and shouting the name "Punzie" at her as he went. Merida followed behind them, catching up rather quickly.

Hiccup took his time picking up everything the other three had left behind. They would come back for it later, with promises of favors and in Merida's case, sweets.

Despite her problems with Potter, Rapunzel was happy. November approached fast, carrying in a sharp wind that kept them indoors. Neither Hiccup nor Jack had a heavy coat. Apparently both of them had gotten so used to cold weather that their normal clothing was enough to keep them warm throughout the year. However, Rapunzel refused to accept this fact and kept the four of them indoors for their weekly meetings, favoring the library instead, much to Hiccup's delight. However, it put a stamper on Jack and Merida's carefree attitude.

Their attitudes got worse as Quidditch season began. Merida would be playing first, against Slytherin. The Gryffindor house had been rather nonchalant to her before but as the first game approached, she noticed that many of them were becoming increasingly hostile and treated her as if she was some sort of spy.

"The one with Dunbroch. They're always together."

"What if she tells her all of the team's secrets?! We're definitely going to lose!"

"What was Wood thinking, putting someone like her on the team?"

"What was he thinking? What is she thinking?! Hanging out with a Slytherin…"

Her own house was not much better. To her utter surprise, her friendship with the Gryffindor became something of an accomplishment. It seemed that everyone was convinced that Merida had told Rapunzel about all the strategies and secrets that the Gryffindors possessed and Rapunzel had relayed that information to Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. In an attempt to avoid it all, Hiccup suggested that the two girls put a hold on their friendship until the match was over. Even though neither of them had been happy about it, the plan worked out well. Things quieted down and life returned to a relatively normal state.

Friday morning, on the day before the match, Rapunzel got up as she normally did, early. The gossip had died down but she still disliked the girls from her house. She had never tried talking to any of them, but Pansy Parkinson didn't really give her a chance.

Theodore was waiting for her in the common room, his homework squished inside his textbooks. "Good morning." He said to her cheerfully. They walked down to the Great Hall together, discussing their Potions homework and his fear of owls. "Merida has an owl." Rapunzel said absent-mindedly.

"You miss her?" Theodore asked with a smug smile. Without waiting for her response, he added, "You should just talk to her again. The match is tomorrow, no one is going to bother you about being friends anymore."

"Doesn't it bother you, that I'm friends with a Gryffindor?" Rapunzel mumbled, smoothing out a bit of her hair. It was a nervous habit of hers, and this was a question she had put off asking out of fear for his response.

"A bit, yeah. I'm sure it bothers you that I'm friends with Draco but you never say anything about it, so it's okay." He shrugged and stuffed another bagel into his mouth. Rapunzel stared at him with a bit of happy surprise. He had stuffed an entire bagel in his mouth without skipping a beat, but more than that, what he said had made sense. Malfoy bothered her, but it did not affect her friendship with Theodore. Merida was the same way to him. She found that it was a nice thought and kind of remarkable.

The two of them finished their breakfast and headed off to Potions. Rapunzel always enjoyed this class because Professor Snape never wasted any time with them. He would ask a few questions at the start of class, have them take a few notes, and then get them on their way in making either a poison or an antidote. So far, every one of her potions had earned her house points. This made it hard not to notice that he seemed to be in a foul mood lately, and was limping when he made his rounds around the class.

Rapunzel put a stopper on her Baneberry potion and handed it to Professor Snape. He looked at it for a few seconds before returning his dark eyes to her face, "Twenty points to Slytherin for your excellent work Ms. Corona, Mr. Nott. Mr. Nott, you may leave. Ms. Corona, I would like a word after class."

Theodore had already packed away all his things and casted a backwards glance at her. She mouthed the word go, and sat back down in her seat. One by one, the rest of their class turned in their work to leave. Merida had been paired with Neville, and her hair was even frizzier than usual. Rapunzel had learned very quickly that Neville was actually horrible at Potions and he had gotten lucky to be paired with her on their first day. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the both of them as they left.

"Ms. Corona," Professor Snape's drawl snapped her out of her trance and thoughts of the friends she had not spoken to. He was standing by his desk, his hands folded behind his back.

"Yes Professor?" She answered politely.

"I understand that Lavinia has been stripped of her role as your guardian, is that correct?" He had a brooding look on his face, as if the words were causing him annoyance.

"How did you know that?" She asked, bewildered. After several moments of silence, she realized he was not going to answer. "I… Yes. Lavinia sent me a letter telling me that my father would come pick me up when the term was over."

Professor Snape was silent for several moments, as if rethinking what he had just heard. "…And you are sure, that the person who sent you this letter was Lavinia herself?"

"I…" The thought that it wasn't Lavinia didn't even occur to her. It was possible, that someone had just sent the letter and pretended to be her guardian. A nagging feeling bothered her now that she didn't question it at all. "I…I never thought about that."

Snape's eyes narrowed and his voice became a bit quieter. "Listen to me very carefully, Rapunzel. I knew your father. If what I know of him is true, he should be dead. There are several people after your life. You must be careful."

"How do you know all this?" She had thought her voice would be shrill, but it sounded quiet and defeated, even in her own ears.

Again he ignored her question. "Be careful of who you trust. I believe one of the men who are looking for you now might even be lurking in this castle."

"Who?" She found that she was not scared, only surprised. Hadn't Lavinia told her throughout her life that she was important and needed to be protected? She had learned long ago that the outside world was a cruel place.

"Quirrell. If I'm not mistaken, he is working for the Dark Lord. Has he said anything to you? Sought you out perhaps?"

Rapunzel tried to think of a time when he had talked to her outside of class. Nothing came to her except the day she had seen Harry Potter for the first time. "Once, in the Leaky Cauldron. He asked me if I was going to Hogwarts this year."

Snape did not have an apparent physical reaction but Rapunzel thought she could feel that his frown was getting deeper. "Be wary of him. You are a weapon. The Dark Lord will stop at nothing to get you." He turned back to his desk and began to look over the potions, as if the conversation never happened. His voice returned to its normal neutral tone. "You may leave."

But she was not ready to leave. She had so much to ask him, even if she couldn't get the words out yet. "Professor…how did you get that limp?"

"From a dog. I believe your friend, Mr. Haddock, will be able to give you more information on it." Professor Snape said nothing more.

"Who is my father?" She continued, unabated by the silence or the glare that he was now giving her. His silence was something she was accustomed to, as Lavinia had been the same way when she asked her questions. It also meant that Rapunzel knew she would not be getting an answer.

She left, with reluctance and anger clouding her thoughts.

* * *

The next day, the school was in an uproar and Rapunzel was not in the mood for it. The match between Gryffindor and Slytherin would begin at noon. Even though she had woken up grumpy, she couldn't help but be excited. It was contagious.

A bit before noon, she met up with the Hiccup and Jack to wish Merida good luck. Rapunzel gave her a hug. Jack offered an awkward slap on the back while Hiccup just smiled slightly with his crooked teeth. They parted ways soon after to head to the stands. "I hope she does well." Jack yawned.

"What? So you do care about her." Hiccup teased. It warranted a slight push from Jack's end. Rapunzel ignored them both to look around the field. Snape could be seen sitting on the other side of the pitch, his eyes were uneasy. Quirrel sat behind him, looking nervous as always.

"Rapunzel! Why are you so quiet?" Jack's voice caused her to jump and she knocked into someone next to her. "Sorry..." She mumbled quickly to the girl.

"Oh, it's quite alright." The girl answered. Her bushy hair covered her face. Ron Weasley was beside her, meaning this girl could only be one person. "Oh, you're Rapunzel. I've heard all about you. I'm Hermione Granger."

"I know." Rapunzel answered, shaking her hand. "You're the only one who's ever been faster than me at brewing a potion."

Hermione laughed. "Yeah. But Professor Snape doesn't notice since he favors Slytherins." The two of them were quiet for a moment but then she spoke again. "Aren't you on the wrong side?"

"What?" Rapunzel said, surprised.

"The Slytherins are over there." Hermione pointed to a location on the other end of the stadium. "I just thought you'd be here cheering for them."

Rapunzel's eyes narrowed. She was getting tired of this. "I'm here to cheer on Merida. For someone who is supposed to be extremely smart, you don't really think. You said you heard all about me, so you must've known we were friends. Your question is really stupid."

Jack and Hiccup stared at her in shock. They had never seen her directly insult anyone before. Not even Malfoy. She had gotten angry at them sure, but she was incredibly nice to people she didn't know. With them, it was more of a motherly anger.

Hermione seemed to think the same. "I…You're right. I'm sorry. It was a rude question."

Hearing her apology, Rapunzel felt ashamed. She hadn't meant to say those things. She didn't know why she was so angry. It hadn't been Hermione's fault and it was simply a question. "No…No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, or call you stupid. I'm just... in a really bad mood."

The bushy-haired girl gave her a small smile. "It's alright. I'd be in a bad mood too if I were stuck in the same house as Malfoy." Rapunzel returned the smile. She didn't expect to make friends with this girl. She was not at all what she had expected, and this surprise was more than welcome.

Everyone turned back to the field. All the players were in the air. Merida had a look of pure concentration on her face. It was nothing like what any of them had seen before. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and they were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too - - "

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Rapunzel could see a dark boy with a microphone in front of where the teachers were sitting. She didn't know him but she could see the Gryffindor tie underneath his clothes. It struck her as odd that they would put a Gryffindor as the commentator.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Katie Bell- back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to sc-no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Merida Dunbroch of Gryffindor there. One of two new first years on the team. And a nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

She could see Merida's signature grin now. She was swerving all around the pitch, confidence and joy radiating on her face. It was then that something struck Rapunzel as odd. "Jack?"

"Mmmm?" He answered her without taking his eyes off Merida.

"I thought you said your first game would be with Merida? Why is she playing Slytherins?"

"Slytherin and Ravenclaw were supposed to play first," He mumbled. "Quirrell asked that it'd be Slytherins and Gryffindor because Ravenclaw needed more practice so they moved the teams around. Since it's the first game, no one cared that much."

Quirrel again…So everything came back to that man. She could see him from where she was standing. His eyes were trained on someone but she couldn't make out who. She had never seen him look so serious or sinister in her life. There wasn't even a hint of the nervous professor he pretended to be.

"Rapunzel, look." Hiccup was pointing at Harry Potter. He was jerking left and right for no reason. He then started rolling over and over, as if his broom was trying to throw him off. It seemed that Hiccup wasn't the only one that noticed because now everyone was pointing at him and whispering.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" A Gryffindor boy behind her asked.

"Can't have," A voice boomed. It was the gamekeeper, Hagrid. How had Rapunzel not noticed him before? He was at least 12 feet tall. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione grabbed Hagrid's binoculars and scanned the crowd. After several moments, she gasped. "I knew it, Snape – Look!"

"Snape!? No…" Rapunzel could see him across the field. He was mouthing something and staring intently at Harry Potter. Quirrell was doing the same behind him. "Hermione! Listen-" But it was too late. She was already gone. "Jack! Keep an eye on things. I'm going after her!"

Rapunzel ran as fast as she could. Her shoes were bothering her but she was a fast runner even while she was wearing them. "Hermione! Wait!" The other girl didn't stop. She wasn't far behind now, just a few feet. She could see the teachers as well, watching Harry Potter intently.

With one last extent of effort, she gave herself one last burst of speed and tackled Hermione Granger to the ground, knocking over several professors. "Listen to me! It's not Snape, it's-!" Rapunzel could feel dozens of eyes trained on her. Quirrell's turban was askew as he lay next to Professor McGonagall.

"What is the meaning of this Ms. Corona?! Why have you tackled Ms. Granger to the ground?!" The older woman said shrilly.

"I…um…I" Rapunzel really didn't know what to say. She could feel the heat of shame and embarrassment rushing to her face. It was a spur of the moment decision. Luckily, she was saved from answering because Harry Potter was shouting the words everyone had been waiting for. "I've got Snitch!"

Rapunzel and Hermione used the chance to quickly make their escape. Gryffindor had won, one hundred seventy points to sixty. Merida was flying over the stands, giving their friends a high-five. She smiled at Rapunzel's approach. "We wun! We wun!" Rapunzel gave her the biggest hug she could muster, which had felt great after the week they had not spoken to each other.

"Hagrid, let's get Harry and go to the hut." She heard Hermione say. Rapunzel let go of Merida and turned to her, "Can we come too?" Rapunzel motioned to herself and then her friends. Surprise was frozen on all their faces.

Ron Weasley looked like he was about to protest but before he could, Hermione replied, "Yes. I think it's for the best. Let's go."

About an hour later, the 7 of them plus Hagrid had been squished inside the hut. "It was Snape," Ron was explaining. "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

Hagrid looked like he wanted to say something but Rapunzel got there first. "It wasn't Snape. It was Quirrell. He was right behind Snape and he was doing the exact same thing. Did you look at him? Did you see him muttering?"

"You're just taking his side because you're a Slytherin." Ron mumbled bitterly.

"Quirrell was a Ravenclaw. I'm a Ravenclaw. All of this is so important in the big picture of things." Hiccup said sarcastically.

"It matters because of course she'd take the side of her favorite professor." Ron grumbled.

"My favorite is Professor Sprout." Rapunzel rolled her eyes a bit. "And it doesn't matter. I think Quirrell is trying to kill Harry Potter."

"Rubbish!" Hagrid finally put in. "All of this is rubbish. Snape and Quirrell are Hogwarts professors. None of 'em would try an' hurt Harry."

"Yes, they would." Rapunzel said with utter confidence. "Quirrell is a Death Eater. He's working for the Dark Lord. Snape knows too. He found out that night on Halloween. Quirrell was trying to get past the three-headed dog."

"What three-headed dog?" The golden trio said at once.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid boomed as he dropped his teapot. Rapunzel gave Hiccup the smallest of glances but didn't answer.

_"Fluffy?"_ Jack's sarcastic question floated over from her right.

"Yeah - he's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year. I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the—"

"Yes?" Potter urged eagerly. It seemed that everyone was curious now.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said the giant gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"Especially when there are spies around." Ron mumbled.

"Now yoo've done it, yoo dunderheid. Why are yoo goin off on Rapunzel being a Slytherin?!" Merida questioned accusingly.

"And why are you always taking her side?!" Ron yelled. "You're my cousin!"

"Someone tried to kill Harry today. Someone let a mountain troll into the school on Halloween. Someone, whether it's Snape or Quirrell is after whatever _Fluffy _is guarding. Can everyone just focus please?" Jack rolled his eyes. Obviously, he did not like being the voice of reason.

"There's nothing to focus on. All yer are wrong. I don't know why Harry's broom acted like that but none of em' would try to kill a student! Now, listen to me, all of yeh. Yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel—"

"Aha!" said Potter, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved."

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Do you like the golden trio being friends with the Big Four? Do you hate it? Don't care either way? Leave a review with your thoughts and stuff and I'll see you next week. **


	11. The Mirror of Erised

**A/N: I got a review from a guest last time asking if I plan on doing all seven ****years, and yeah, I plan on getting them all the way through Hogwarts. Also, they're eleven right now, with Jack at the helm being twelve and Merida being the youngest at ten so there really isn't going to be any romance until we hit their fourth year. But as my old readers all know, I ship Jack and Rapunzel really hard so that's going to slip out every now and then. *Cough, Cough***

* * *

Christmas had arrived with a spear in hand. One morning in mid-December, Rapunzel awoke to find that the castle was covered in several feet of snow. The lake had frozen solid, and the people in her house were already packing to go home for the holidays. Angus would return to school battered and in need of medical treatment from Hagrid, whom Rapunzel had grown quite fond of. She had found that despite his association with Harry Potter, it was not impossible to be friends.

Jack had annihilated the Ravenclaws in his match at the start of the month, much to Merida's chagrin. Now that both had played in their first matches, it seemed that they were completely engrossed in trying to beat each other to the ground in their upcoming game. Much of their free time was now spent on the Quidditch pitch. Hiccup had volunteered to help them practice by playing Keeper while Rapunzel played Beater.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. The common rooms and Great Hall had large fires but the corridors felt cold to the touch. The classrooms felt drafty even though all the windows were closed. However, nothing felt as cold as Professor Snape's classes in the dungeons. All the students had to keep close to their bubbling cauldrons for warmth.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy during one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He had been looking at Harry Potter when he spoke but Rapunzel could see that he had angered Merida as well. The Scottish princess had decided that she wasn't ready to face her mother yet and would be staying for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had gone around the week before collecting names and she had signed up at once. Rapunzel and Jack had done the same. His excuse was that he simply did not like being at home.

Rapunzel turned in her potion and waited outside the classroom. Merida emerged from the dungeons a few moments afterward fuming, "Hoo does that scathy bug think he is? Just cos he's going home... Me mom is still a wee bit mad or I'd be goin home too. I'm a _princess._" Merida almost never referred to herself as a princess, but she was pretty angry as she flung her arms around in her explanation. When Merida was angry, she talked with her limbs and hair.

Rapunzel laughed slightly at her rant. They were heading to the Great Hall for lunch. It looked spectacular. Holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls. Massive Christmas trees decorated with twinkling icicles and floating candles stood around the room. They could see Professor Flitwick putting decorations on one of them as they spoke.

"Hello Professor," Rapunzel greeted. Professor Flitwick was Hiccup's Head of House and her Charms professor, so they knew each other pretty well.

"Ah, hello Miss Corona. I'm surprised to see you here. Will you be staying here for the Christmas holidays then?"

She nodded brightly in response. "Yes. The Hall looks beautiful. Would you like some help?"

"Oh, hmm, well, yes. That would be lovely. The levitation spell then." He said, his little goblin hands on his stomach. Rapunzel had mastered the levitation spell early on. It helped that Jack had been a student the year before and he had a knack for it.

The two girls worked in silence with their Professor. After several moments, she could hear a commotion from the door. Ron Weasley had his hands around Malfoy's collar and looked about ready to punch the blond boy. Snape appeared behind them, clearing everyone off. The sight of them reminded Rapunzel of the question she had been meaning to ask.

"Professor Flitwick, do you perhaps know someone named Nicholas Flamel?" She inquired politely.

Merida dropped her unlit candle. The four of them had decided early on that it wasn't their business. Harry Potter wasn't their friend. What happened to him wasn't their concern and they would not get caught up with whatever it was that the three-headed dog was guarding.

Flitwick did not notice Merida's distress however because he answered in a casual tone, "Oh no. Not personally, but he is a friend of Dumbledore's. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I read about him somewhere, and I wasn't sure what it was he did." Rapunzel's explanation made sense, but it was a lie. At least, Merida had hoped that it was a lie.

"Ahh, that's because he's an alchemist my dear. It's a very old profession. It's an art that's lost in time. I daresay, he's the last one." Flitwick seemed to be quite cheerful answering their questions. Rapunzel had chosen to ask him on purpose. Ravenclaw was the most knowledgeable House, and they were also the House keenest on sharing information.

After they put the last candle in place, Flitwick bounced off cheerfully and Merida immediately grabbed Rapunzel's arm. "Wut are yoo thinkin?! Askin' him questions like that."

"I need to know, Merida." Her voice was a whisper, and it was also somewhat sad. "Ever since I was born, Lavinia has told me that I was a weapon and needed to be protected. I need to know why. This isn't about Harry Potter. This is about me. Quirrell knows why I've been alone my whole life. I need to know what he's after. If I can find it, maybe I can use it to make him tell me.

Merida didn't let go of her arm, but her grip lightened. "Then I'll help. I'm making Frost and Hiccup help too. Yoo can't go and battle Fluffy without us."

Rapunzel was speechless at Merida's words. She had been alone for a very long time. Lavinia had been with her but Lavinia had never helped her grow as a person. She had done everything for herself but now, now she wasn't alone anymore. She had friends, people who would fight alongside her. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Perhaps Merida understood her because she simply gave her a smile and a hug before walking back to her table.

* * *

Once the holidays had started, things changed dramatically. The dormitories and common room was completely empty. Rapunzel had the entire place to herself. It reminded her of her tower. Regardless of how warm the place actually was, she felt cold. Jack and Merida seemed to notice so they decided that they would all just sleep in the Slytherin common room, much to her delight. After stealing several mattresses from the Slytherin dorms, they had a rather large and comfy sleeping space on the floor. Rapunzel slept in the middle with Merida on her right, and Jack on her left. The fire roared at her feet.

Rapunzel also took up the liberty to teach Jack wizard's chess. Much to her surprise, he was very patient with it. It was just like muggle chess but the pieces moved on their own and liked to give advice. Jack talked to the pieces that Merida had lent him and after a few games, they moved where he wanted them to without him ever needing to say anything. Much to Merida's displeasure, it also meant that her pieces lost whatever trust she had built in them.

Rapunzel went to sleep on Christmas Eve feeling warm and happy. It was quite possibly, the warmest winter she had ever had in her life. Christmas morning, she awoke to a pile of presents at their feet. "Merida! Jack! We've got presents!"

Merida rubbed the sleep from her eyes to look around."Duhh… It's Christmas." She laid back down and drifted off without another word. However, Jack had already pounced on his packages, ripping the paper off with lightning speed.

Inside the first box was a thick blue sweater with a hood. There were snowflakes at the top and on the hem. "Happy Birthday, Jack!" Rapunzel whispered excitedly.

He wasn't smiling. He just looked at the sweater in shock. "I…How did you know it was my birthday?"

Rapunzel frowned a bit. She didn't expect this reaction. She had known he didn't like thick clothes but he needed at least one sweater. "You told us that your birthday was on Christmas and you expected double the presents. Look! I bought you chocolate too." She grabbed the smaller package from the pile and held it out to him.

"I…I was kidding. I didn't think you guys would remember." He pulled the hoodie over his head, and the sleeves hung past his hands. "I'm twelve now." He looked like he was in shock, but then he started laughing. "Thanks for the sweater. It's great. I can't believe you got me presents. How do you guys have money for this?"

"It's really big, maybe we should shrink it." Rapunzel was still frowning. Jack was acting really strangely.

"No. I like it. I can grow into it. I'll wear this hoodie forever." He was smirking again, but Rapunzel could see a twinkle in his eye. She relaxed. "You should open the rest of your presents. Hiccup got you something too."

Jack rolled his eyes, "If I know Hiccup, he bought me a book." He opened the gifts with a lot of enthusiasm anyway. Much to his surprise, Hiccup had ordered something from Zonko's Joke Shop in a nearby village. "Hiccough Sweets. Oh, I get it. Hiccough, Hiccup. Haha. He thinks he's so funny." Even though Jack had meant to be sarcastic, Rapunzel could see him smiling.

As she opened her own presents, Rapunzel was smiling too. She had received several quills and a sketchpad from Jack. Hiccup had bought her a book entitled A Children's Anthology of Monsters. Merida had bought her a new frying pan and from Theodore a golden comb for her hair. She had received a large dark cloak from Lavinia. It flowed behind her like a cape.,

"Holy crap!" Jack screamed as he opened his last present from Merida. "It's a Cleansweep Seven!" Merida was awake now, after hearing Jack scream. "Wut?"

"You bought me a Cleansweep Seven?" Jack asked her incredulously.

"Aye. And?" Merida, was digging through her own presents, ignoring the amazement on his face.

"How did you have the money for this?"

"I'm a _princess,"_ Merida said a bit bitterly. "Me family's got loads of money. You got me a Nimbus?! Thanks Rapunzel." Rapunzel could feel herself being choked and suffocated by red curls but was happy all the same.

Jack just stared at them. "Wow."

"Don't worry Jack. Me new Nimbus beats yours anyway." Merida grinned. "Not that I needed it."

There was only one gift left, but she wasn't sure who it could be from. She had opened all the presents from her friends and Lavinia. Whose was this?

It was small, but felt somewhat heavy. Inside was a locket, about the size of a chicken egg. It looked very expensive, with a large topaz on the front. She could see that there was a family crest beneath the topaz but she couldn't make out the words or the picture. There was a note inside.

_ Your father left this in the possession of the Dark Lord before he died.  
__Consider it a gift, and proof that what I'm telling you is true. He died in  
the hopes that someday, someone would be able to defeat the Dark Lord.  
That can only happen if you remain safe, and out of his reach. _

_Take great care Rapunzel and Merry Christmas._

"Hey! That's pretty!" Jack said from over her shoulder. "Did a boy send you that? I bet it was that Theodore Nott! He's always around you."

"No! It was Neville, yeah? He's taken a liking to you for sure." Merida giggled.

Rapunzel swatted them both away hastily and put the locket into the pocket of her new cloak. "Come on! Let's get to breakfast."

* * *

Christmas dinner was a feast. The house tables had been removed and instead, there was just one table for everyone to sit. Mountains of potatoes, turkey, pudding, and salads were placed down the table. Every few feet there were wizarding crackers that gave away presents when you opened them and Jack had hauled them all in.

Rapunzel opened a few with her friends. Every time, it would go off like a canon, giving off smoke and a few mice. When the three of them had left the table Rapunzel's pockets were full of non-exploding balloons, a bottle of invisible ink, a deck of exploding snap, a bowler, and a small wooden puzzle.

Afterwards, they had a snowball fight at the entrance of the school. The cloak Lavinia gave her kept her warm, and she could see Jack rolling up the sleeves of his new sweater. Merida took the chance to hurriedly get a few throws in with her spectacular aim. They returned to the Slytherin common room freezing and wet, but the warm fire dried them up almost instantly.

"We've got a few hours before bed, what should we do?" Jack asked them, as he rolled the sleeves of his sweater back down.

"Let's explore the castle!" Merida squealed excitedly. Jack nodded in agreement.

"What if we get caught?" Rapunzel asked hurriedly. She did not want to get in trouble.

"We won't. The twins have taught me all the secret passageways." Merida assured her. Before Rapunzel could get another word out, Jack had already grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.

The castle was dark, but Jack had pulled out his wand, "Lumos."

"Where are we going?" Rapunzel said worriedly.

"I don't know!" Merida responded with excitement coloring her voice.

Jack led the way, taking them far, far upstairs. "I'm going to show you guys something cool. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a place to hide from Filch, and I found this room with everything in it. "

"Where is it?" Merida asked, doubt apparent in her voice.

"Here it is! Gotta be quiet though." Jack stopped in front of a blank wall. He paced in front of it for a few moments before a plain wooden door appeared. However, the room inside was anything but plain. There were thousands of shelves full of the most random objects imaginable. She could see old textbooks, animals, notes, clothes, ancient weapons, modern toys, and things that looked look neither.

"Wow…" Rapunzel could feel her breath catch in her throat. "What is this place?"

"The older kids call it the Room of Hidden Things." Jack answered. "Whenever anyone needs a hideout, they come in here."

"This should be our hideout!" Merida declared. But Rapunzel didn't hear her. Her eyes had been caught by a giant mirror in the middle of several shelves. It was as high as the ceiling, and standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

She stepped in front of the mirror.

Rapunzel quickly slapped her hand to her mouth before it could drop open. She was in a yellow grassy plain where people seemed to be celebrating something. There were people singing and dancing. She was standing there with Hiccup, Merida, and Jack. A woman had her arms thrown around her. The woman looked remarkably like her except she had brown hair. The woman was beautiful, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. A man with scraggly hair and a beard was smiling as he watched the two of them.

The Rapunzel in the mirror had a very broad smile on her face. She took a finger and put it to her lips, in the universal gesture meaning silence. Then she put her palm to her lips and bit down very hard on her hand. Blood flowed freely from the bite.

Rapunzel looked at her own hand but there wasn't any wound. The mirror image then walked away from the people that loved her and walked toward the real Rapunzel with her hand out-stretched. The wound had closed up, but there was still blood pooled on her palm. She bent down and brushed it against the yellowing grass where it immediately sprang to life. The grass had turned green and sprouted several inches right before her eyes.

Rapunzel stumbled back into a shelf and the images disappeared. The only thing she could see in the mirror was herself, scared and pale. "Rapunzel?!" Jack ran to her with Merida in tow. "What happened?!"

"The mirror….The mirror…." Rapunzel couldn't say anything more. Merida walked up to the mirror, her eyes wide. "Mum…"

"Merida…?" Jack turned to look at her now. Merida was in a trance. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away. "Merida…What are you looking at?"

"Mum…We're riding the horses and she's telling me to use me bow to catch her fish. Mum...She understands." Merida couldn't rip her eyes away from the mirror. Jack was shaking her by the shoulders but she didn't seem to want to move.

"Merida, snap out of it!" Jack pushed her away from the mirror and she fell on the floor. "What the hell is this mirror showing you?!"

"Jack, can't you see anything in this mirror?" Rapunzel asked him quietly.

Jack glared at the mirror, but he wasn't transfixed like they were. "No. I see you, and Merida, and I see Hiccup. Nothing special except maybe Hiccup since he's not supposed to be here."

"Ah, that's because you've already found your heart's greatest desire Mr. Frost." The three of them froze. Standing between two shelves was their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He stood tall with a calm smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked inquisitively. Rapunzel could see him shaking even though his voice had been calm.

"The Mirror of Erised. Can you fathom what this mirror shows us all?" The old man asked gently. None of them answered him. Perhaps if Hiccup had been here, they would've had a response. "Mr. Frost does not see anything special in the mirror because he's already received everything he's ever asked for. Does this help?"

"It only shows us what we want." Merida said quietly. She sounded bitter.

"Yes and no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, and most desperate desire of our hearts. You, Ms. Dunbroch, who has always sought your mother's approval, sees her asking for you in your truest self. Mr. Frost, who has always been ignored and alone, wishes for nothing more than to be acknowledged and have friends. Ever since the three of you have come into his life, he no longer needs to wish for these things. As for Ms. Corona…What did you see?" The old man's eyes twinkled.

"I…I…" Rapunzel couldn't force the words out. Her parents. She was sure of it. That was her mother and father. She looked back to the mirror but she couldn't see them anymore. She desperately wanted to touch the woman in that mirror. To hold her hand.

"Ms. Corona, this mirror does not show you the truth. Hundreds have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. The mirror will be moved to a new home after the three of you leave. I do not know what you saw, but I ask that all of you not dwell on what the mirror has shown you."

All of them were silent for a moment but then Jack pulled the two girls to their feet and the three of them prepared to leave. However, before they reached the door, Jack turned to look at Professor Dumbledore once more. "What do you see when you look into the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

The three of them turned to look at each other before returning their stare to the old man.

"One can never have enough socks," said Professor Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

Hours later, when the three of them were lying on the mattresses in the Slytherin common room, Rapunzel realized that a very personal event had happened to them tonight, and she had learned a lot about her friends without them ever wanting her to.

"Jack?" She whispered. He did not move or answer her, but she felt that perhaps, he was still awake. "I saw all of you with me in the mirror. My mother, my father, and all of you. I used feel lonely all the time too, but I don't feel that way anymore, you know?"

He didn't answer her for several minutes and Rapunzel wondered if perhaps he had fallen asleep. But when she closed her eyes and turned away, she heard him croak, "I have a sister at home. My mom was a Squib. When I turned 6, my hair turned white for no reason, and she realized I was a wizard and she started to hate me. My dad was a muggle. After he saw what happened, he treated my mom and me like freaks and left. My mom married Manny later. They all ignore me at home. They act like I'm not even there. My sister is nice, but mom yells at her whenever she talks to me, so she stopped last year. No one gives me birthday presents. I…That's why…When you guys gave me all that stuff I kinda just sat there. I was just really happy, so yeah. I know."

Rapunzel could feel Merida squeeze her hand, alerting her to the fact that she had been awake too. Rapunzel got out of her spot and pushed Jack over. Tonight, he'd be sleeping in the middle.

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**A/N: I've been waiting forever to write Jack's backstory. I feel like this will better explain why I put him in Hufflepuff. He is loyal. He didn't betray the Guardians when Pitch asked him to join the dark side. And here, he's loyal b****ecause the Big Four are the first and only friends he's ever had. Plus, he waited 300 years just for someone to notice him. I'd say that's pretty patient, and tolerant. Anyway, what did you think of what Rapunzel saw in the mirror? How about the locket that she was sent? Please submit your answers and suggestions in the review section and I'll see you next week!**


	12. Immortal Blood

**A/N: A lot shorter than the last two, but finally the secret behind Rapunzel is put to the test. This chapter is mostly filler so don't expect much. Also, I'd like to thank FlormaIrmaTyLee for her reviews. It's very amusing that she's never read the original Harry Potter but she's reading this story. It gives me a very warm feeling. Anyway, let's get to the story. Enjoy! **

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Dumbledore had convinced them all not to go looking for the mirror again. Even if the girls had wanted to, Jack would have stopped them. Merida forgot about it soon after, but Rapunzel could not let go so easily. In her nightmares, she saw herself older. Her hair was longer and brown. There would be blood dripping down her hands as she mourned over the bodies of her dead parents. She would wake up in a cold sweat every time.

Hiccup returned from Berk a bit before the Christmas holidays ended. When he returned, they immediately told him about the mirror and all the things they had seen. They were friends and they did not have secrets. Rapunzel divulged the secret of her blood and the three of them listened in surprise. After a quick discussion, the four of them had decided that they would test her powers before doing any serious research.

The next morning, the four of them walked together to the Black Lake. Many students would normally convene and have lunch there but it was very cold now. Snow covered up most of the ground, but after pawing away a bit, they found a patch of yellowing grass.

The four of them knelt down in an irregular diamond. "What do I do now?" Rapunzel asked.

"I brought a knife with me." Hiccup murmured as he dug through his new Christmas coat for a small knife. "I was going to give this to you as a birthday present, but it disappeared before I could. I found it again when I went back to Berk." It was small and made of silver. There were little inscriptions on the handle and a small hole for a charm at the bottom. "Okay, just make a small cut on your hand. We'll pull out some grass and you can smudge it on that."

Rapunzel did as she was told. She took the knife and cut a small wound into her palm. While it was strange that she was intentionally making herself bleed, it did not hurt as much as she had expected. Hiccup had pulled out several blades of grass and placed them in her now bleeding hand.

The moment it made contact with her blood, it started to morph. It was no longer grass, but a stem. Leaves and grass sprouted around the stem. Green returned to the plant. "What is that…?" Jack whispered.

"Nightshade," Rapunzel had a knack for Herbology and there was no doubt about it. What had only been dead grass before, transformed into a poisonous plant at the touch of her blood. "Hiccup…how is this possible?!"

"I...I don't know. Let's try that again. I'm not going to pull out the grass this time. Just smudge it on the ground." Rapunzel wasn't bleeding as much anymore but she applied some pressure on the cut and a bit more blood appeared. She smudged it along the ground and fresh green grass sprouted, as if it were mid-spring.

"It didn't change." Merida whispered.

"I think it only changes when the plant is dead." Hiccup murmured. "Grass doesn't really die in the winter. It's just not getting enough sunlight and water. Kind of like people get skinnier if they don't eat enough. The first grass had been pulled out, so it was dead. Nothing can bring the dead, back to life so it just became something else." Hiccup explained with an air of false confidence.

It sounded reasonable enough for the other three to accept. However, that brought on a new set of questions.

"Can she…Can she do that to people?" Jack's voice was quiet. It seemed everyone else was thinking the same thing.

"I don't know." Hiccup shrugged. "I hope we never find out."

Classes started soon after, keeping Rapunzel's mind occupied. And although she was not on any team, she had grown very accustomed to flying around, and helping her friends train for their match. It was only when she was alone and trying to sleep that she would think about what her blood could do. Had Lavinia known? Did Snape and Quirrell?

However, all thoughts of her mysterious powers disappeared on the day of the Quidditch match. Merida and Jack shook hands before they walked to their locker rooms. It was the most respect either one had ever shown to the other. It was just a silent handshake.

Rapunzel and Hiccup moved to the stands and found a spot next to Neville. "Hello Rapunzel." Neville said to her cheerfully. He had been less nervous directly after the Christmas holidays but as the school year continued, he was slowly returning to his impish ways. "Are you here to cheer on Merida?"

"And Jack!" Rapunzel answered with a smile. Hiccup nodded beside her, "It's kind of hard to choose a side when both of our friends are out there." He added.

"Yeah. You guys are kinda brave. Making friends outside your house." Neville seemed a bit nervous. He turned back to the pitch, but a figure on the grounds made him grow pale. "Is…Is that Professor Snape?!"

"What?!" Rapunzel snapped her head to the field. It was unmistakable. Standing in the middle of the grounds was Professor Snape himself. "What is he doing…?" Hiccup mumbled to himself.

"He's refereeing." Hermione Granger's voice floated to them. "This is bad. If Snape tries to hurt Harry again, we're prepared to fight back. Right Ron?"

Before he had a chance to answer, Draco Malfoy poked him in the back of the head. "Oh, sorry Weasley, didn't see you there." He was grinning broadly at Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, two boys in Slytherin that Rapunzel particularly disliked. Not only were they ugly, lazy, and annoying, they were stupid too. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time. Anyone want to make a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Jack had just scored and was awarded another penalty shot. Despite being in the lead, he did not seem happy at all. He threw the Quaffle as hard as he could into the ring on the far left, scoring another ten points for Hufflepuff.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Malfoy said loudly. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money, and finally Dunbroch, who's got no friends - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville turned bright red and seemed about to say something but Rapunzel was already at Malfoy's throat. "Don't you _dare_ insult Merida." Rapunzel's normally chipper voice was filled to the brim with venom. "If you ever make fun of her again, I will destroy you." Rapunzel glared at him with hatred. He seemed to cower a bit under her gaze. "That is a promise."

Watching his terrified expression, Rapunzel felt satisfied that her point had been made. She turned back around, putting her wand back into her cloak. Neville watched her in awe. "You really are brave. Why are you in Slytherin?"

"Yeah, Corona. What are you doing in Slytherin? Hanging around with Mudbloods and blood-traitors. You are a stain on the Slytherin name." Malfoy's silky smooth voice was murmuring behind her. Rapunzel snapped. She grabbed his arm and flung him over her shoulders onto the floor in front of her. Ron jumped on the opportunity and the two boys began scuffling under the seats. Neville and Hiccup were taking care of Crabbe and Goyle. Despite her friends being slightly smaller, they had the element of surprise. Hiccup was remarkably strong after fighting dragons for ten years.

When all was said and done Hiccup was bruised all over and had lost a tooth, Ron Weasley had a nosebleed, and Neville was knocked-out cold but the Slytherins had been sent running with their tail between their legs.

Rapunzel was still watching the game. Harry Potter had gone into a dive with the Hufflepuff seeker by his side. Jack had mentioned him once, a third year by the name of Cedric Diggory. Potter had his arm-outstretched, fumbling for the snitch, but Diggory got there first. Hufflpuff had won, 200-30.

Much later, the four of them had positioned themselves nicely in the Room of Hidden Things. They had learned about the real secret of the room the week before. Merida had needed a bathroom, and a separate loo had magically appeared in the corner. Hiccup had come to the conclusion that the room became whatever the passerby needed minus food and water, which never appeared. Today, there were several couches and loveseats positioned around a small fireplace. Jack was fuming.

"Snape ruined that game! I wanted to beat Merida fair and square but he had to come and mess around."

Merida was lying faced down on a couch. She was mumbling into the cushions but she looked up as Jack paused for a moment to breathe. "Why are yoo bealin on like dat? Yoo wun didn't yas?"

"Because _I_ wanted to beat you into the ground. I didn't want some Professor to walk in and do it for me! And look what happened to Hiccup! He lost his teeth and his face is all messed up because a couple Slytherins wanted to mess with him and I couldn't even be there to help out!"

"Stop yer ninnying Frost. We all know I woulda wun." Merida mumbled this into the couch cushion but everyone heard it loud and clear. "And wen hav yoo started caring aboot Hiccup?"

"He reminds me of my brother, but that's not important right now! How do you know you would've won?! I would've beaten you easily! But now I can't prove it!"

"Yoos has a brother?" Merida asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Ahh, my dad took him when he left. Haven't seen him since, but Hiccup reminds me of him. Scrawny, freckles, kind of weak. That kind of thing. Can we go back to the game now?!" Jack was still ranting when Rapunzel pulled out the knife Hiccup had given her. "Hiccup, I want you to drink my blood."

Jack paused in mid-sentence as all three snapped their attention to her. "What?!" They screamed in unison.

"I've been thinking about what happened with the grass. Maybe if you drink my blood, your bruises will go away and your teeth will come back." Hiccup looked repulsed at the idea and he wasn't the only one. The others also looked slightly sick at the thought.

"You don't have to drink it. It was just as suggestion." Rapunzel said quickly.

"That's really nasty." Jack said finally, slumping into an armchair. Merida nodded into the cushions.

"Well, maybe we could try something else first." Rapunzel suggested. "How about just rubbing my blood onto the bruise?" The other three were silent for a moment. It did not seem as disgusting but it bothered them nonetheless. However, Hiccup was a very curious person and in the end, agreed to try it.

Rapunzel hadn't noticed before but the cut she had made had already healed. There was no sign of injury at all even though it had only been a week since that experiment. She opened up a fresh wound. It hurt more this time, and there was more blood. It was dripping on the floor. She wished for a cup and it appeared beside her. She applied a bit of pressure and the blood accumulated in the cup.

"Okay, are you ready?" Hiccup looked hesitant but nodded. Rapunzel dipped her finger into the cup and massaged it onto Hiccup's face.

"Did it work?" He asked nervously. The other three were dumbfounded. Her blood disappeared on contact, taking the bruise with it.

"It's gone…" Rapunzel whispered.

"What is?" Hiccup poked at his face tentatively, but he couldn't feel any pain anymore. "No pain, no bruise, no blood…" He pulled up his sleeves and the bruises on his arms were gone too. He was quiet for several moments before he shot up with excitement. "Nicolas Flamel!"

Hiccup ran from the room, leaving the other three to stare dumbfounded after him. He returned moments later with a small book without a title. "I asked Madam Pince about him earlier and she was kind of reluctant but she helped me check out this book. Nicolas Flamel was an alchemist. His work required him to eat and test the ingredients he used. It made him sterile so he never had children but he did accomplish the highest powers an alchemist could ever achieve. He made a Sorcerer's Stone."

"Wut?" Merida said, confusion clear on her face.

"He was, is immortal. He's 656 years old. The Sorcerer's stone gives you eternal life and can turn any metal into gold."

But why would that matter?" Jack shrugged.

"Dumbledore is hiding something underneath the castle right? And it's about Nicolas Flamel. It has to be the Sorcerer's Stone. Who wouldn't want a stone that could keep someone alive forever? If the Dark Lord or whatever is alive and just hiding because he's weak, the stone will bring him back to full power. Remember what Rapunzel did with the grass? It's the same thing!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"But why not just take Rapunzel? Goin' throo a dug, and all thon just to get a rock?" Merida asked. She wasn't lying down anymore.

"I don't know." Hiccup shrugged. "These are just ideas anyway. But why does it matter? We know why Rapunzel's important now. She has immortal blood. She can heal people without a wand."

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**A/N: Next week on the Big Four: TSS, Rapunzel takes on Draco Malfoy, and Hiccup teams up with Hermione and Harry to get rid of a dragon. Thoughts? Angry that it's shorter? Please review with your complaints and suggestions below and I'll see you guys next week. **


	13. Norbert the Dragon

**A/N: The first part of this chapter will be written with Hiccup as the main character with Rapunzel finishing off. Very soon, I'll be returning to my normal 7, 17, 27, update schedule. These past couple weeks were just an effort to catch up to that. Anyway, enjoy!**

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In the weeks that followed, nothing particularly strange happened around school. Now that Rapunzel knew about her blood and the Sorcerer's Stone, it didn't seem all that important that she retrieve it to bargain with Quirrell. She barely thought about it at all, and focused all her time on her studies instead.

Hiccup had turned into the group leader for the time being. He helped them on all their assignments and repeatedly badgered Merida and Jack to study while correcting their notes and assignments. Rapunzel's perfect notes didn't need any correcting, earning a proud nod of approval from Hiccup. She gave a smug smile to Jack and Merida who merely rolled their eyes at her.

Hiccup's constant badgering had become incredibly helpful despite their annoyed expressions. Exams were closing in on them. The Professors felt that with only ten weeks before exams, they would need to pile on mountains of homework, keeping the four of them busy. Most of their time was spent in the library, studying with Hiccup underneath the section on dragons, which happened to be his favorite.

One particular morning, after the Easter holidays, Hiccup noticed Hagrid burst into the library, and their section. He stood still, practically invisible. He could hear the gamekeeper talking to the Golden Trio from where he was standing.

"…Don't go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?" Hagrid whispered. He had a loud voice, and his whispers weren't as low as he had probably hoped.

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry Potter, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHH!" Hagrid said. "Listen -come an' see me later, I'm not promising I'll tell yeh anythin' mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

Hagrid shuffled around him, ignoring Hiccup completely as he grabbed a book from one of the top shelves. "Dragon egg…" Hiccup whispered. He had seen it in the giant man's hands. Hiccup had been studying dragons since the day he ran into that Night Fury. He was sure that the egg was a Norwegian Ridgeback. He hurried to tell the others at once.

Weeks passed, and none of them saw Hagrid. It wasn't that they were particularly close to the gamekeeper, but Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel had grown fond of him over time. He was very knowledgeable about animals, and was more than willing to share his information.

One morning, as they were eating breakfast, Hiccup watched as an owl fell into Harry Potter's lap. He could see the color drain from his face. He was arguing with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they went to class. Draco Malfoy stood several feet behind them, smirking.

Hiccup turned to Rapunzel, who he could see was watching them just as intently. She made a motion to him, and he nodded. They were going to follow them and they would make sure that if Hagrid was hiding a dragon, Draco Malfoy would not know about it.

Hiccup, Jack and Merida cornered the Golden Trio after Herbology class. Rapunzel was a bit away, watching Draco Malfoy. "We know about the dragon and the Sorcerer's Stone." Jack whispered. The other three had fallen silent. Obviously, they were surprised.

"How?" Hermione Granger asked. Her eyes were on Hiccup. He could see suspicion in them, but there was also curiosity and intrigue.

"It doesn't matter." Jack answered mysteriously. Hiccup watched the exchange with a healthy dose of intrigue. Jack had been extremely helpful with negotiations and just talking to people since he was a year older than them and seemed infinitely more smooth and controlled. "What matters is that Malfoy knows and he plans on following you. Me and Rapunzel will take care of him, but in exchange, you have to bring Merida and Hiccup with you when you meet Hagrid."

"Why would you want to come see it with us? Aren't you scared of getting in trouble?" Hermione asked them.

"I want to learn more about dragons." Hiccup said behind Jack and Merida, "I live in a village that's always attacked by dragon hordes. I might learn something new if I go watch. Jack and Rapunzel don't care as much but she wants to keep Hagrid safe, so she's trying to help."

After a bit more convincing, the three of them agreed to take Merida and Hiccup along. They trusted Jack and Rapunzel to keep Malfoy busy. They weren't sure how, but the two of them could handle themselves.

They rushed to the hut. Hagrid hesitated seeing the 5 of them but then he ushered them inside excitedly. "It's nearly out."

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it and something was moving inside. Hiccup could have sworn he heard a strange clicking noise like a key was turning. The noise became louder, and the egg split open with a scraping noise.

The baby dragon flopped onto the table with its wings spread out. It was like nothing Hiccup had ever seen. Slightly bigger than his hand, it looked like a Monstrous Nightmare except black. It sneezed, and several sparks flew out.

"That's one…" Hiccup whispered.

"Wut?" Merida asked him.

"Every dragon has a limited number of shots. When they run out, they need a couple days to recharge." Hiccup explained.

"That's interesting. I wonder how many this one has." Hermione whispered to herself, watching the dragon with fascination.

"How'd you know that?" Hagrid boomed happily.

"Dragon training happens in our village whenever the older people go out to hunt. I'm not allowed to be part of it but I go to watch the lessons. Hagrid, you can't let him live him in here."

"Don't matter now, does it?" Merida mused. "Wut are yoo gonna do with a dragon?"

"I'm gonna raise it 'course" Hagrid chanted. "I've always wanted a dragon.

"Yoo be living in a wooden house. He'll burn it to the ground." Merida exclaimed, her hand over her mouth. And Malfoy knows that yoos is hiding something in here. Rapunzel and Jack can't keep him quiet forever. Unless they off him, and she wouldn't do that." Merida paused for a moment to think, "Probably."

"Malfoy…" Hagrid had gone pale. "I can't just throw Norbert out. He's just a baby afterall. He'd die."

"Norbert?!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, Norbert. It's gotta have a name." Hagrid took a finger and tickled the little dragon under the chin."

"Merida, didn't you say you had a cousin who worked with dragons?" Hiccup asked her.

"Aye. Charlie? Ron's brother."

Ron seemed to understand what he was thinking. "We'll send Charlie a letter and tell him to take Norbert…Brilliant!" said Ron. It was the first time Ron Weasley had said anything nice to anyone in their group and Hiccup could feel himself flush with pride at the idea. "How about it Hagrid?"

It took several weeks to try and convince him, but in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

It took a week before they received an answer. Merida's cousin had agreed that on Saturday, he would send several of his friends to take the dragon off their hands. The trouble was that his friends would arrive on the Astronomy tower by night. This meant that they would have to carry Norbert from the hut to the top of the tower without being seen. Harry Potter had guaranteed them that he had a plan for this part of the mission.

Rapunzel and Jack had kept a close eye on Malfoy in the meantime. After the fight at the Quidditch game from before, he had started to avoid her. He didn't insult her either, which was a welcome change. He simply ignored her presence altogether as if she didn't exist. This made trailing him, extremely easy.

He would try to sneak down to the hut but would be stopped by Jack or Rapunzel whenever he tried. However, their work ended up being a complete and utter waste. Thursday morning, they learned from Merida that Ron Weasley had been taken to the hospital wing due to being bitten by Norbert.

"Malfoy found the letter that Charlie had sent Ron. He knows about the dragon. He knows when and where we're going to move him. It's going to be a lot harder to get the dragon to the roof now." Hiccup sighed. He had helped Hagrid take care of Norbert but it had grown much larger, much faster than he expected. "We'll need a new plan. I'll be helping them carry Norbert to the roof. Harry told me that he has an invisibility cloak. No one will be able to see us."

"I'll take care of Malfoy." Rapunzel said confidently. It surprised her how easily the seven of them were working together now. While she still did not like Harry himself, she got along very well with most of his friends. Even Ronald Weasley did not seem to mind her presence as much anymore.

"Wut aboot us?" Merida asked, pointing at herself and Jack.

"We need an alibi." Hermione piqued up. "Me and Harry will be out of bed past curfew. Merida, you should prepare an alibi for us, so even if someone comes looking for us, you'll cover." The six of them, minus Ron Weasley were sitting in the Room of Hidden Things. Jack had told Harry and Hermione about the room, because they needed a place to discuss their plans without being overheard. The library was not safe, and so the Big Four's only choice was to invite them into their clubhouse.

Merida nodded reluctantly. She didn't seem to like this plan.

"And me?" Jack was sitting on an armrest next to Merida. His face was uncharacteristically serious. "What you guys are doing is enough to get all of us expelled. I'm not going to let you two take my friends out there without doing something."

"You should help us carry Norbert. You're older so you might know some short-cuts to the roof." Harry Potter suggested.

"Will your invisibility cloak be able to cover the four of you plus, Norbert?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "I suppose we could leave Hermione behind so it's just us three boys."

"Absolutely not," Hermione said shrilly. "You will not leave me behind Harry. I'll worry about you until you return."

In the end, the six of them agreed that they would leave an annoyed Merida and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room while Jack, Hiccup, and Harry would be responsible for carrying Norbert to the roof. Rapunzel would be keeping Malfoy occupied. She would send Angus up to the Gryffindor Common Room if something went wrong.

Saturday arrived not a moment too soon. Norbert had grown so large that lifting him in a wooden crate would've been impossible with just Harry and Hermione alone. Rapunzel wished her friends good luck, before returning to the Slytherin common room where she would see Draco Malfoy waiting for her with Crabbe and Goyle by his side.

"Corona, I believe you know as well as I do what tonight is." Malfoy was sitting in one of the more comfy armchairs, his chin on his left fist. "I'll leave Crabbe and Goyle for you to play with. I have more important things to do."

The bulky boys advanced on her, their wands forgotten inside their robes. "Don't either of you care what Malfoy is going to do tonight?"

The three of them stopped in their tracks. "What do you mean?" Goyle's voice was a low rasp. She had never heard him talk before since he mostly grunted or was silent whenever he saw her.

"I mean, he's going out tonight to do something. Don't you care what that is? Doesn't it bother you that he treats you like a dog? He tells you to do whatever he doesn't want to. He won't fight me himself. And right now, he's going out to get Harry Potter in trouble and make himself famous around Slytherin without you, so you won't get any of the credit."

Goyle remained silent but he didn't move. Crabbe however, turned on Draco. "Yeah? Is she telling the truth? Where are you going huh?" Crabbe's voice was even more surprising. It was soft, sort of like Hermione Granger's voice in its softness.

"What's it matter? Just keep her busy." Rapunzel could've sworn that she saw sweat sliding down his neck.

She wrapped her fists around his robes and brought his face very close to hers. There was blatant fear on his face. "Listen to me Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle are not your slaves. While I do not like them, they haven't hurt me yet. And until they try to, I won't fight back. You, on the other hand, I promised you that if you insulted Merida again, I'd destroy you, and I will. You are not stepping outside this common room tonight, do you understand me?"

He nodded, and she let him go. The moment that she unclenched her fists, he pushed her away. She fell on the ground, her long hair splaying around her. He ran out the common room, shouting to the other two to keep her busy. Crabbe walked toward her, his hands out-stretched. Goyle did not move.

Rapunzel pulled out her wand from her sleeve, and flicked it in the formation of a check mark "_Flipendo!_" Crabbe fell back and Rapunzel quickly pulled herself to her feet. As she ran for the portrait hole, she looked back on the confused Gregory Goyle, "Thank you."

Rapunzel rushed out into the hallway and up the stairs, throwing off her shoes as she ran. Someone would return them to her later. As she reached the fourth floor, she closed in on him. "_Verdimillious!"_ Green sparks cackled all around Malfoy, holding him in place as he jumped away from them. It seemed to hurt him but it was only slight, and it produced the result she had wanted. Professor McGonagall came running towards them in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net.

"Ms. Corona! Mr. Malfoy! What are the two of you doing here?! Casting spells at nearly one in the morning?!"

Rapunzel responded first. She had prepared for this confrontation ahead of time and was prepared to lie through her teeth. "Professor! Malfoy said he wanted to play a prank on Neville Longbottom. I ran out here to try and stop him. My Verdimillious charm wasn't meant to hurt him. I was just trying to stop him so I could drag him back to the common room."

"Mr. Malfoy! Is this true?!" Professor McGonagall had fallen for it completely. She turned all her rage on Malfoy, and he was too dumbfounded by Rapunzel's blatant lying to be able to respond at all. McGonagall took his silence as an admittance of guilt. "Detention! And fifty points from Slytherin! Trying to attack a fellow student in the middle of the night. How _dare _you_-"_

"No! No, that's not what happened. Corona is lying! You don't understand, Professor, Harry Potter's coming- he's got a dragon!" Malfoy's desperate eyes searched the corridor of the tallest tower.

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Trying to cover up your crimes with the most impossible of excuses. Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy! And you, Ms. Corona. While I appreciate your efforts of trying to retrieve Mr. Malfoy, you are also out of bed and will be punished with a detention."

"That's fine, Professor." Rapunzel had been prepared for that too. She would protect Jack and Hiccup from getting in trouble no matter what it took.

"However, you have been brave in defending your fellow students and standing up to those in your own house. For that I award you twenty points. Come along."

The two of them were marched to Professor Snape who didn't say much at all as Professor McGonagall explained the manner in which she found them. In fact, he seemed just a bit smug at hearing her explanation. After she had left, he eyed them both for a few seconds before walking them back to the common room.

The room was empty. Rapunzel vaguely wondered where Crabbe and Goyle had disappeared to, but she didn't have much time to think about it. The moment the portal closed behind them, Malfoy wrapped a hand around her wrist. The amount of pressure he had applied almost hurt. "You lied to McGonagall."

"So what if I did?" Rapunzel snapped back at him. "Jack and Hiccup are up there tonight with Harry Potter. I don't care what happens to Potter but I will not let Jack and Hiccup get in trouble and expelled because of this. I am willing to do anything to protect my friends, and that includes lying to teachers and blowing you up."

Malfoy's mouth dropped open in surprise, but that surprise quickly turned into a smug smirk. He let go of her wrist and folded him arms against his chest. "That's pretty cold-hearted of you Corona. Looks like I was wrong about you. Maybe you do belong in Slytherin after all."

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**A/N: Did you like seeing the story from Hiccup's side? Did you also like seeing a darker side of Rapunzel? Not only lying but beating the bullies of the school no less. Anyway, there is a reason I put her in Slytherin (besides plot conveniences). Please send me hate comments, suggestions, and reviews below. I read them all. Thanks! And I'll see you next week Tuesday.**


	14. Mars is Bright

**A/N: The next update will be on the 27th. That is all. Enjoy!**

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The next morning, Rapunzel was ecstatic. Hiccup and Jack had gotten away scott-free. Harry Potter had apparently forgotten his invisibility cloak when he left the tower, and was consequently caught by Filch. Hiccup wasn't nearly as careless and picked it up when he went downstairs, hiding both himself and Jack when Filch apprehended Potter.

Harry Potter had lost 50 points for being out of bed and gotten a detention. McGonagall had assumed that he had been part of the alleged prank Malfoy had been trying to pull. Gryffindor had been tied with Hufflepuff and Slytherin for the House Cup but with Harry Potter's new blunder, Gryffindor had lost the tie for the lead.

Truly, the only consequence of the night was that she had been given a detention. They were rid of the dragon, both her friends had accomplished their task without being caught, she had earned some house points for her lie, Malfoy had given her some of his respect, and Gryffindor was now behind even Ravenclaw for the House Cup. With the end of the year looming, 50 points in one night was a giant loss.

She noticed that Harry Potter had changed drastically after that night. Much of the Gryffindor House had been angry at him for losing points and supposedly affiliating with Malfoy. Even Neville Longbottom had believed it of him, causing a rift between their friendship. It occurred to Rapunzel that she had the power to clear up that misconception, but she realized she didn't want to. Not only would that make her story more suspicious, Gryffindor was all about loyalty. They would reconcile eventually.

A week before exams were about to start she received a note from Professor McGonagall:

Your Detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.  
Meet Mr. Filch in the Entrance Hall.

Signed, **_Professor M. McGonagall_**

At ten thirty that night, she walked to the Entrance Hall alone. Hiccup, Jack, and Merida had wanted to accompany her but it was already very late at night and they should have been in bed, or in Hiccup's case, studying.

The old and rude caretaker, Mr. Filch arrived soon after she did, muttering about the futility of detentions. He seemed to want to use corporal punishment on them. Malfoy and Harry Potter arrived soon after. Filch lit a lamp and the three of them followed him out.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said while leering at them. "Oh yes, hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by the wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office. Keep 'em well-oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

As the marched across the grounds, Rapunzel could've sworn she heard Malfoy whimper. She wondered vaguely what their punishment would be way out here. Soon, she could see the light of Hagrid's hut. His silhouette stood in the distance.

Rapunzel could feel Harry's spirit lift beside her. Perhaps Filch felt it too but because at that moment, Filch turned and said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf. Well; think again boy – it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll come out all in one piece."

Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. She could clearly see it now. The fear outlined in his face was augmented by the sweat that slid down his forehead. "The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night – there's all sorts of things in there – werewolves, I heard.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves, before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding up to them out of the dark. His boarhound, Fang, was beside him. He was carrying a large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder. "Abou' time," he said. "Bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Rapunzel?"

"You shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturing' them, eh?" 'Snot yer place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle. His lamp was bobbing away in the darkness, swaying with his walk.

"I'm not going into the forest," Malfoy declared as soon as Filch was out of sight. Rapunzel couldn't help but chuckle at hearing the panic in his voice. He turned to glare at her.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong and now yeh've got to pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something. If my father knew about this, he'd - "

"- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts, Hagrid growled. Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yer'll get out. If yer think yer father'd rather you expelled then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Malfoy didn't move. He watched Hagrid furiously, his eyes full of hatred and disgust. Hagrid met his gaze but after a moment, Malfoy's eyes dropped.

He had taken them to the very edge of the forest. Darkness seemed like a tangible object here. Rapunzel almost felt like she could talk to the darkness itself. Hagrid then explained to everyone what they would be doing. Unicorns were being attacked in the forest. Their objective was to find one that had been hurt several days before and if they could, help it. If not, they were to put it out of its misery. Rapunzel could feel a lump forming in her throat at the thought. Her hand rubbed the skin over her veins.

Hagrid had split them up. He would go with Malfoy as he seemed the jumpiest and would probably run out of the forest the first chance he got. Rapunzel and Harry Potter were to go into the forest with Fang. Apparently, as long as the boarhound was there, nothing in the forest would attack them.

After a few minutes of walking, Harry Potter apparently couldn't keep himself silent anymore. "I heard how you got Malfoy in trouble."

"It was no big deal. I said that to keep the three of you out of trouble." Rapunzel said simply. She didn't really want to talk to him. There was no point. They had a job to do, and so she kept her head down as she walked, her eyes following the small trail of the silky white unicorn blood on the ground.

"Why did you help us?" Harry continued, completely oblivious to the fact that she obviously didn't want to talk to him.

"Because Hagrid is a good person who deserves to be helped. We weren't going to let him be thrown in Azkaban either. That's how our group works. When one of us wants to do something, we all back them up." There was bite in Rapunzel's words. "We don't need to be in Hufflepuff to know the meaning of the word loyalty."

"How did the four of you even become friends? You're in Slytherin." Harry Potter continued, his ignorance appearing just like everyone else's.

"We're not friends. We're a family." Rapunzel answered simply. She couldn't be bothered to answer him anymore even though he seemed surprised and curious after their short conversation. Rapunzel had stopped dead in her tracks.

A few feet in front of her lay something that seemed to shine through the darkness without any help at all from the moon. It was gleaming on the ground, unmistakably dead. Rapunzel had never seen anything so tragically beautiful in her life. Its elegant, slender legs stuck out at odd angles. Its mane was spread out like a fan.

A mass emerged from the bushes and slithered over to the dead unicorn. She could hear it moving, like a snake. It seemed to be everywhere at once even though she could see it moving right in front of her. It crouched over the unicorn and lowered what appeared to be its head over a wound in the animal's side. For several moments, Rapunzel could not understand what was happening but then it slowly dawned on her. It was drinking the blood from the unicorn's body.

Fang screamed. She was rooted to the spot, transfixed by the crime that was unfolding in front of her. She could see the hooded figure raise its head to look at them. It bolted for her and Harry Potter. Unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.

Harry Potter screamed in pain beside her and she could see him falling to his knees as he clutched the scar on his forehead. She couldn't see the face beneath the hood of the beast but she was sure it was the Dark Lord. Her blood boiled at the sight of it. She felt as if her veins were on fire. Her fingernails dug into her palms so deeply it burned. The monster got to its feet and charged.

Rapunzel turned and ran, trying to escape, but she tripped on a log and in an instant, the monster was upon her. She could feel his breath on her face. Beneath the darkness of the trees, in an almost non-existent light, she saw his face…Quirrell. Rapunzel felt the unicorn blood slide down her cheek and she shuddered with revulsion.

She could hear the sound of hooves at her head, and immediately the pressure disappeared from her face. She crawled to her feet. In front of her was a man, horse...no, a centaur. From the waist up, he had the body of a young man with white-blond hair. Waist down, he had the palomino body of a horse.

"Are you all right?" The centaur asked her, pulling her to her feet.

"Yes, thank you…" Rapunzel murmured. He was already walking over to Harry Potter and pulling him to his feet as well. The boy wobbled upon standing up, his hands on his forehead. The centaur watched him closely. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that had made the boy so famous to begin with.

"You are the Potter boy," he said at last. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time – especially for the two of you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way." He lowered himself on his front legs so that Harry and Rapunzel could clamber on his back. My name is Firenze," he added.

He ran. The trees moving like a picture on either side of them. Firenze weaved in between the trees, neither too high or low to cause them any discomfort. They passed through a clearing where the trees didn't cover the sky. The moon and stars shined down above them. There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Two more centaurs came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" screamed a dark-haired one on their left. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?!"

"Do you not realize who they are?!" thundered Firenze in response. "The Boy who Lived, and the Amaranth. The quicker they leave this forest, the better."

"The Amaranth…" growled Bane, "Firenze, what have you done?! This girl… We have sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets? You must know what saving her means. Even if your head does not, your blood tells you the truth!"

On the other side of her, a red-haired centaur pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in a gloomy voice.

The first centaur kicked his back legs in anger. "For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared hard onto his hind legs in anger, so that Rapunzel had to wrap her arms around Harry Potter's chest to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? You and I both know that the Amaranth is not human. I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans and half-breeds alongside me if I must." Firenze whisked around, with Harry and Rapunzel clutching on as best they could. The three of them plunged off into the trees, leaving the two centaurs behind them.

Rapunzel did not have a clue what was going on. Amaranth…What did that word mean? She had never heard it before, but she was sure that the three of them had used it to describe her. She was the Amaranth, a half breed?

"Why's Bane so angry?" asked Harry Potter. "What was that thing, anyway?"

"Mars is bright tonight." Firenze exclaimed his head looking into the sky. He did not answer Harry Potter's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that they thought Firenze did not want to talk to them anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. The two of them were lowered to the ground and they had to strain their necks to look into the face of their rescuer.

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No," said Harry Potter, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Rapunzel shivered. Could her blood not do the same? What was the price for using it? That day, so many weeks ago she had asked Hiccup to drink her blood, but what would have happened had he actually drank it? "What…What am I?" She whispered to herself. Despite the fact that Harry Potter had been close, he seemed not to hear her. Firenze did.

"You are not the same as that unicorn. You are a myth, lost in time. The stars foretold your return, a creature that goes against the nature of life and death itself. Your existence goes against order, fate, and the very stars. You, and you alone, hold the power to change it."

Neither Harry nor Rapunzel knew what to say. They simply stood there, dumbstruck by all that had happened. "Drinking the blood of a unicorn is a fate worse than death. It does not grant immortality. It is simply a stepping stone until something better arrives. What He is looking for is something that can bring him back to full strength and power- something that will mean He can never die. Mr. Potter, Amaranth, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's Stone! Of course- the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who-" Harry seemed spellbound by these revelations, but Rapunzel's friends had assumed all of this months ago.

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

"The Dark Lord…" Rapunzel said quietly. Harry watched her with an expression of shock, desperation and maybe even fear. Rapunzel did not speak again.

"You can't possibly mean…Lord Vol-"

"Harry! Rapunzel! Are you all right?" Hagrid was running toward them down the path. Malfoy was puffing along behind him.

"I'm fine," said Harry. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there." Rapunzel did not speak. She only nodded to confirm what Harry had said. Part of her wanted to return to the unicorn and try to heal it with her blood but she knew it was already much too late.

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe with Hagrid. Good luck to the both of you. I will see you again" said Firenze, rearing up his legs to leave.

"Wait!" Harry yelled, a little loudly. "What do you mean? What's going to happen?"

"Mars is very bright tonight," Firenze repeated. He was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what to say next. "Mr. Potter. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and sauntered back into the forest.

"What does that mean, Mars is bright?!" Harry Potter shouted after him.

Rapunzel watched him go, rolling the words together in her head. She had studied the planets in Astronomy and what it might possibly mean for those who were born under certain signs, but she did not think the centaurs were thinking in the same direction. Centaurs were clairvoyant beasts, using the stars as gods like the Romans after them.

She could hear herself speak even though she did not mean to. "Mars, the God of Battle. War is coming, Potter and we're at the center of it all."

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**A/N: Well, that escalated quickly. We're almost at the end. Who will make it to the stone first? The Big Four, Voldemort, or the Golden Trio? Comments, suggestions, reviews, and flames are all greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week. **


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